US President Donald Trump cast doubt on whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants a peace deal, shortly after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the hush of St Peter’s Basilica before Pope Francis’s funeral on Saturday.
Zelensky said they had discussed a possible unconditional ceasefire with Russia and was “hoping for results” from a “very symbolic meeting that has the potential to become historic”.
This was the two leaders’ first meeting since a noisy White House clash in February, and after leaving Rome, Trump indicated a new approach to the Russian president.
“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The war cast a shadow over Francis’s funeral. Even as it was taking place, Russia claimed its forces had “fully liberated” the border Kursk region.
Ukraine insisted however that its army was still fighting in Kursk, Russian territory which it hopes to use as a bargaining chip in any future peace talks.
‘Very productive discussion’
Trump and Zelensky sat face-to-face, leaning forward in deep discussion in a corner of the basilica, as the pope’s wooden coffin lay in front of the altar before the funeral, according to images released by the Ukrainian presidency.
“We discussed a lot one on one,” Zelensky wrote on X.
“Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out,” he added.
An aide to Zelensky described the meeting as “constructive” and the White House called it “a very productive discussion”.
The US president flew out of Rome immediately after the funeral mass and there were no further talks.
But the two leaders also briefly huddled inside the basilica with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron’s office described the exchanges as “positive” and he later met Zelensky one-on-one.
Britain said Starmer and Zelensky had “discussed positive progress made in recent days”.
‘You can count on’ EU
Zelensky also met Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“Europe will always stand by Ukraine in the pursuit of peace,” von der Leyen told him in a post on X afterwards. “You can count on our support at the negotiating table to achieve a just and lasting peace.”
In St Peter’s Square, Trump rubbed shoulders with dozens of world leaders, many keen to discuss the tariffs he has unleashed.
But it was the meeting with Zelensky that drew the most interest as the US leader pushes for a peace deal.
Both sides had kept the prospects of a meeting vague ahead of the funeral with Trump saying only it was “possible”.
Tensions had been high since Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelensky in the Oval Office on February 28, calling him ungrateful for the billions of dollars of US military assistance given since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Blame game
Trump, while calling on Putin to stop Russia’s attacks, has recently blamed Zelensky for the war and the continuing bloodshed.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering a conflict that has left tens of thousands dead.
Trump has pushed Zelensky to accept concessions such as acknowledging that Crimea, which Moscow seized in 2014, will remain in Russian hands under any deal to stop the conflict.
After arriving in Rome, Trump said there had been progress in talks and pushed for the Russian and Ukrainian leaders to meet.
“They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off’,” he posted on his Truth Social platform.
“Most of the major points are agreed to,” he said.
Putin on Friday discussed the “possibility” of direct talks with Ukraine in a meeting with Witkoff, according to a Kremlin aide.
He told Witkoff Russia was ready to resume talks with Ukraine “without preconditions”, the Kremlin added Saturday.
The Putin-Witkoff meeting came just after a top Russian general was killed in a car bomb attack outside Moscow.
Russia’s FSB security services announced on Saturday that a “Ukrainian special services agent” suspected of having planted the bomb had been arrested.
Few meetings
The US president, accompanied by his wife Melania, was making the first foreign trip of his second term.
It put him centre-stage of a major diplomatic gathering with some 50 heads of state, including 10 reigning monarchs, and Britain’s Prince William.
The trip also came after he rattled European allies by imposing sweeping tariffs, although he at least temporarily has backed down from the most severe measures.
The US president shook hands with von der Leyen. The two have agreed to meet, a European Union spokesperson said.
Other leaders also swarmed Trump.
One person he did not meet: his predecessor Joe Biden. Trump has repeatedly disparaged Biden, a devout Catholic attending independently with wife Jill and sitting five rows behind his successor.
Previously, other presidents have taken their predecessors with them on Air Force One to papal funerals.
Official Vatican images showed Trump and Melania stopping by the closed coffin in St Peter’s Basilica.
Trump, in a dark blue suit and tie, and Melania, wearing a black veil, then took front row seats for the service.
Trump had said any meetings would be quick and added: “Frankly it’s a little disrespectful to have meetings when you’re at the funeral of the pope.”
