Russia-Ukraine War: Trump Meets Zelenskiy in Rome

U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met one-on-one in Rome on Saturday, following the funeral of Pope Francis.

The meeting at the Vatican marked their first encounter since a tense exchange in the Oval Office in Washington in February.

The aim of the meeting was to revive faltering efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Zelenskiy said the meeting could prove historic if it delivers the kind of peace he is hoping for, and a White House spokesperson called it “very productive.”

The two leaders, leaning in close to each other with no aides around them while seated in St. Peter’s Basilica, spoke for about 15 minutes, according to Zelenskiy’s office, and images of the meeting released by Kyiv and Washington.

After Pope Francis’s funeral service, Trump boarded Air Force One and departed Rome. While in the air, he published a social media post in which he took a tough tone on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!” Trump wrote.

Source: Reuters