UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump will hold a second meeting this afternoon on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome, after a first 15-minute exchange was described as “productive” by the US. A Ukrainian official shared an image of both men meeting inside St Peter’s Basilica. The leaders are seen sitting opposite one another on chairs in what appears to have been an ad-hoc meeting, looking engrossed in conversation. The meeting took place before the funeral of Pope Francis, which both leaders are attending. Efforts remain underway to broker a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy’s spokesperson said the meeting between the Ukrainian President and Trump was brief. “The leaders agreed to continue their discussions today. Teams are working on organising the continuation of the meeting,” Ukrainian presidential spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov told reporters. Advertisement White House communications director Steven Cheung called the meeting “a very productive discussion”, saying more details would follow. Trump and Zelenskyy sat in the front row of the funeral in St Peter’s Square but were separated by nearly a dozen leaders. Zelenskyy glanced Trump’s way, but they were not seen to meet in public. Both sides had kept the prospects of a meeting vague ahead of the funeral with Trump saying only it was “possible”. Tensions have been high since Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on 28 February, 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 President Vladimir Putin to stop Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, has recently blamed Zelenskyy for the war and the continuing bloodshed. Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Trump has also pushed Zelenskyy to accept previously unpalatable concessions such as acknowledging that Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014, will remain in Russian hands under any deal to stop the conflict. Arriving in Rome late yesterday, Trump pushed for the Russian and Ukrainian leaders to meet after what he said was progress in talks. “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. Related Reads 'Vladimir, STOP!': Trump condemns Russian strikes on Kyiv as death toll rises to 12 Zelenskyy says Ukraine will only hold direct talks with Russia after ceasefire is in place Russia resumes attacks on Ukraine following brief Easter truce, Ukraine says “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 US envoy Steve Witkoff. But Zelenskyy again rejected suggestions that Ukraine give up Crimea. Witkoff’s meeting with Putin came just after a top Russian general was killed in a car bomb attack outside Moscow. An increasingly frustrated Trump last week threatened to walk away from peace efforts if he does not see progress towards a ceasefire. Trump last year promised to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours if elected president, though he said in a Time magazine interview this week that he was speaking “in jest”. With reporting from © AFP 2025