A powerful image captures the moment Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy met before the funeral of Pope Francis.
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a brief but highly significant meeting at Pope Francis' funeral on Saturday (April 26) -- their first in-person encounter since their tense White House clash earlier this year.
According to aides, the two leaders met for about 15 minutes on the sidelines before the late pontiff's funeral ceremony began.
Ukrainian presidential spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov confirmed the meeting and said they had agreed to continue discussions later that day.
"The leaders agreed to continue their discussions today. Teams are working on organising the continuation of the meeting," he told reporters, per France24.
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The Ukrainian presidency released a series of powerful images showing Trump and Zelenskyy sitting face to face, as well as participating in a four-way exchange alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
A White House spokesman, Steven Cheung, described the initial conversation as "a very productive discussion" and said more details would be provided.
Both Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended the funeral service in St. Peter’s Square, seated in the front row but separated by nearly a dozen world leaders.
They were joined by several other dignitaries who had gathered in Vatican City to pay tribute to Pope Francis, who passed away on Easter Monday (April 21) at the age of 88 following a sudden stroke and irreversible heart failure.
Among those in attendance were the Prince of Wales, Britain's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and former US President Joe Biden.
The 47-year-old Ukrainian leader appeared to receive a round of applause from the gathered crowd as he left St. Peter’s Basilica after paying his respects to the late Pope.
Despite the respectful atmosphere, tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy remained fresh.
Their meeting comes after sharp exchanges over the 78-year-old's proposed peace plan for Ukraine, which was crafted with the input of Trump’s envoy General Keith Kellogg.
The proposal calls for sweeping territorial concessions by Ukraine, including ceding Crimea and large portions of Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhia to Russia. In return, Ukraine would retain access to the Dnipro River and a portion of Kherson, while the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant would be placed under U.S. administration.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected these terms, calling them unacceptable and a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty. "There is nothing to talk about. This violates our Constitution," he said, per Al Jazeera. "This is our territory - the territory of the people of Ukraine."
He warned that entering talks based on territorial concessions would only embolden Moscow: "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 Kyiv’s firm stance, Trump has continued to press for a deal, recently claiming that "they are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to 'finish it off'," per Sky News.
"Most of the major points are agreed to. Stop the bloodshed, NOW. We will be wherever is necessary to help facilitate the END to this cruel and senseless war!" he added.
Meanwhile, Steve Witkoff, Trump's peace envoy, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss the "possibility" of direct Ukraine-Russia talks.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov described the talks as "constructive and very useful," discussing the "possibility" of direct Ukraine-Russia negotiations, per CNN.
Before departing Kyiv for Rome, Zelenskyy signaled a willingness to advance peace talks but under strict conditions.
"In the coming days, very significant meetings may take place - meetings that should bring us closer to silence for Ukraine," he said. "We are ready for dialogue, I emphasize again, in any format with anyone," Zelenskyy continued, "[but] only after a real signal that Russia is ready to end the war. Such a signal is a complete and unconditional ceasefire."
Kyiv and Moscow have not held direct negotiations since the early weeks of Russia’s February 2022 invasion, and any new talks would likely require additional groundwork, potentially delaying the Trump administration’s hopes of reaching a quick resolution.
Addressing future security guarantees, Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine’s accession to NATO was unlikely in the near future. "I think we have to be pragmatic. We have to understand what security guarantees Ukraine needs," he said.
The Ukrainian proposed the involvement of a European military contingent and a "backstop" from the United States.
"For us, the backstop does not necessarily have to be boots on the ground in Ukraine," he clarified, suggesting support could instead include cyber defense capabilities, "and above all Patriot air defense systems".