Donald Trump has met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis.
The meeting - which took place as world leaders gather to pay their respects to the late pontiff - reportedly ended with the US and Ukrainian presidents agreeing to hold further talks after the service, Sky News reports.
Their bilateral discussions follow a series of sharp exchanges between Trump, 78, and Zelenskyy, 47, over a proposed peace plan aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
The US president's peace negotiator, Steve Witkoff, has already held talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin and is expected to continue discussions in Moscow.
The proposed peace plan, crafted with input from Trump’s envoy General Keith Kellogg, would require Ukraine to make sweeping territorial concessions.
Under the proposal, Kyiv would cede Crimea and large portions of Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhia to Russia. In return, Ukraine would retain access to the Dnipro River and a northern slice of Kherson, while the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant would be placed under US administration.
Zelenskyy, however, forcefully rejected the plan, describing it as a violation of his country's legal and territorial integrity.
“There is nothing to talk about. This violates our Constitution," he said, according to Al Jazeera. "This is our territory - the territory of the people of Ukraine."
Warning of the risks of such concessions, Zelenskyy added: “As soon as talks about Crimea and our sovereign territories begin, the talks enter the format that Russia wants - prolonging the war - because it will not be possible to agree on everything quickly.”
Despite the backlash from Kyiv, Trump’s team has continued to promote the initiative. General Kellogg is leading the American delegation, following the downgrading of top-level peace talks in London.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pulled out of those talks to head to Moscow instead, while Vice President JD Vance, speaking from India, issued a stark warning: “It’s time for them to either say yes or for the United States to walk away from this process," per the Daily Express.
Trump also attacked Zelenskyy’s stance on Truth Social after the Ukrainian president reiterated in The Wall Street Journal that Ukraine would not recognize the occupation of Crimea.
He responded: “Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama, and is not even a point of discussion.
"Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?”
He also warned that Zelenskyy’s refusal to compromise could doom the prospects for peace. “It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War,” Trump wrote. “He has nothing to boast about! The situation for Ukraine is dire - He can have Peace or he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country.”
Emphasizing his desire to end the conflict, Trump added: “I have nothing to do with Russia, but have much to do with wanting to save, on average, five thousand Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, who are dying for no reason whatsoever.”
He issued a final warning: “The statement made by Zelenskyy today will do nothing but prolong the ‘killing field,’ and nobody wants that! We are very close to a Deal, but the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE.”
Tensions escalated further following a deadly Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv on April 24, the deadliest assault on the capital in nine months, according to CBS News.
The Ukrainian air force reported that 66 ballistic and cruise missiles, four plane-launched air-to-surface missiles, and 145 Shahed and decoy drones were unleashed on Kyiv and surrounding regions, as reported by The Washington Post. The attack killed at least nine people and injured over 70.
President Zelenskyy, who was in South Africa at the time, immediately cut short his trip and returned to Ukraine, denouncing the assault as "one of [Russia’s] most outrageous."
Trump also condemned the attack, posting: “Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”
Amid these developments, Trump continues to emphasize the urgency of reaching an agreement, but Zelenskyy has remained firm.
Speaking on Telegram, Zelenskyy said: “Ukraine has repeatedly said that it does not exclude any of the formats that can lead to a ceasefire and further to real peace. Stopping the killings is the number one task.” However, he reaffirmed that Kyiv’s red lines remain unchanged: no surrender of territory, no forced neutrality, and no erasure of Ukraine’s suffering.
The French presidency has backed Kyiv’s position, stating any peace agreement must include full respect for Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged during a meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission that Russia’s ground forces are experiencing shortages in weapons and are eagerly awaiting new shipments, particularly drones.