President Donald Trump recently met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of Pope Francis’ funeral, with reports indicating that the two leaders set aside their differences to reach an understanding.
As covered by Sky News, this meeting marked the first face-to-face encounter between Trump and Zelenskyy since their intense exchange at the White House earlier this year.
A source cited by the news outlet mentioned that the discussions between the two were ‘very productive’ during their visit to Rome for the funeral service.
Trump, earlier this week, announced that a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia was ‘very close’ and encouraged Zelenskyy to finalize it.
“We are very close to a deal, but the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE,” he posted on his Truth Social platform.
He also expressed his willingness to assist Ukraine and Russia in resolving the conflict, stating, “I look forward to being able to help Ukraine, and Russia, get out of this complete and total MESS, that would have never started if I were president!”
On the same day, Trump condemned a Russian drone strike in Kyiv, which resulted in nine fatalities, emphasizing that he was ‘not happy’ with the incident.
The attack was one of the deadliest in the Ukrainian capital since last July, causing at least nine deaths and injuring 90 people.
Through Truth Social, Trump voiced his disapproval: “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”
There are reports that Trump and Zelenskyy have agreed to continue their discussions after attending the service for Pope Francis.
UNILAD has contacted the White House for a statement.
Today (April 26), the funeral for the Pope commenced, drawing hundreds of thousands to St Peter’s Square in Vatican City, including notable figures like President Emmanuel Macron of France and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
As the service began, Trump faced criticism for his perceived lack of ‘respect’.
Trump attended with his wife Melania, joining figures such as Starmer, Zelenskyy, and Prince William at the event.
He was criticized on social media for wearing a blue suit instead of the traditional black attire.
One Twitter user remarked: “Trump the only world leader without the respect to wear black at Pope Francis funeral. He’s a disgrace to America and the world. God bless Pope Francis.”
Another user added, “What is it with Trump that he did not even have the decency to wear a black tie, never mind he wore a blue suit.”
Before departing Washington, Trump reflected on Pope Francis, saying: “[He] loved the world, actually, and he was just a good man. I thought he was a fantastic kind of a guy.”
However, he also highlighted the opportunity to engage with other global leaders during the funeral.
Speaking to MSNBC, Trump stated: “It’s going to be very interesting. We’re going to meet with a lot of the foreign leaders, they want to meet.
“Trade deals are going very well. I think Russia and Ukraine, I think they are coming along, we hope, very fragile.
“And Iran I think is going very well. We’ll see what happens. We’re working on plenty of things.”