‘Zelenskyy is calmer, wants to make a deal,’ says Trump after meeting Ukrainian leader in Vatican

US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Russia to stop its offensive in Ukraine as he viewed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy “calmer” and more interested in seeking a ceasefire deal, following their brief one-on-one meeting inside the Vatican on Saturday. Detailing about the meeting, Trump said that it was a “beautiful” one and Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy asked for more weapons during their 15 minute interaction in the Vatican, as they were present to attend the funeral of Pope Francis. While interacting with the media during his departure from New Jersey, Trump said he was anguished over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s missile attack on Kyiv and disappointed that the Kremlin has been continuing its attack on Kyiv, making the US president doubt whether Putin was even serious about ending the war. Story continues below this ad “I think the meeting went well. We’ll see what happens over the next few days. We’ll probably learn a lot. I was very disappointed that missiles were flying by Russia,” Trump said, CNN reported. After Russia launched about 150 drone assaults and airstrikes in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine early on Sunday, Trump said “I want him (Putin) to stop shooting, sit down and make a deal.” Also Read | Hours after meeting Zelenskyy, Trump threatens Putin with sanctions over civilian deaths in Ukraine Elaborating about the issues discussed in his sit-in with President Zelenskyy at St. Peter’s in Vatican, Trump said they also briefly discussed the Crimea issue, which the United States has said would recognise Russian territory under the American peace proposal which has already been rejected by Kyiv. Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that America could pull out of the ceasefire negotiations if Russia and Ukraine do not make a headway with each other. Story continues below this ad During an NBC News program, Rubio said “It needs to happen soon. We cannot continue to dedicate time and resources to this effort if it’s not going to come to fruition,” Reuters reported.