Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump met inside St Peter's Basilica on Saturday, shortly before the funeral of Pope Francis.
The White House described their 15-minute discussion as "very productive," while a Ukrainian spokesman confirmed a second meeting was also planned.
Photographs captured Trump and Zelensky in deep conversation, just minutes before the funeral ceremony began. The meeting came a day after Trump claimed that Russia and Ukraine were "very close to a deal," following talks in Moscow between his envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It was the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since a tense Oval Office meeting in February, during which Trump reportedly told Zelensky he was "not winning" and that he "didn't have the cards." Trump reiterated that sentiment earlier this week, saying the Ukrainian leader "has no cards to play."
Images from the basilica showed Trump, dressed in a blue suit, and Zelensky, wearing black, seated opposite each other in an intense exchange. Another photo, shared by the Ukrainian delegation, showed Trump and Zelensky standing alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, with Macron resting a hand on Zelensky's shoulder — suggesting the pair may have helped broker the meeting.
Following their discussion, Trump and Zelensky descended the basilica steps together and took their seats in the same row for the service. They were separated by other world leaders, including Macron.
During the homily, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re reflected on Pope Francis’s repeated calls for peace, recalling his oft-repeated exhortation: "Build bridges, not walls."
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff had left Moscow on Friday after what Putin aide Yuri Ushakov described as "very useful" talks. Ushakov said the discussions had narrowed differences between the US and Russia, including the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian representatives.
Saturday’s meetings marked a notable development, coming after months of growing pressure from Trump on Kyiv to consider territorial concessions in exchange for ending the war. Reports suggest these concessions could involve ceding large areas of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which Russia annexed illegally in 2014.
Zelensky has consistently rejected such proposals. Speaking to the BBC on Friday, he said, "A full and unconditional ceasefire opens up the possibility to discuss everything."
