US President Donald Trump met his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, on Saturday before the funeral of Pope Francis began, the White House confirmed. The meeting between the two top political leaders comes after they had a public spat during a media interaction in Washington DC. Zelensky had gone to the US to have a conversation and sign a minerals deal with the Trump administration. The meeting of two leaders at the Vatican is the duo’s first meeting after that spat.
According to news agency AP quoting the White House communications director Steven Cheung, the leaders “met privately today and had a very productive discussion”.
Zelensky also called the meeting with US President Donald Trump as “good meeting”.
“Good meeting. We discussed a lot one on one. 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. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results. Thank you,” Zelensky posted on X with a picture.
The US President arrived at the Vatican with his wife, first lady Melania Trump. They were seated in the front row, not far from the French President Emmanuel Macron, for the outdoor service.
According to news agency AP, Trump told the reporters on Friday as he flew to Rome that he was going to the funeral “out of respect” for the pontiff, who died Monday after suffering a stroke at the age of 88.
The report mentions quoting the US president that he would have “a lot” of meetings with counterparts on the sidelines of the funeral. But he seemed to back away from that as he flew to Rome.
“Frankly, it’s a little disrespectful to have meetings when you’re at the funeral of a pope,” the president told reporters accompanying him aboard Air Force One. Nonetheless, Trump said: “I’ll be talking to people. I’ll be seeing a lot of people.”
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