President Trump flew to the European continent for a short time this weekend. He has been in chaos over the past few months, paying homage to Pope Francis at his funeral, but he met with Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelensky at a key moment determining both the borders of the country and its fate.
Trump was on Earth in Rome for about 14 hours and left shortly after the Pope’s service in St. Peter’s Square, and stopped shaking hands and greetings with several presidents, prime ministers, royals and religious leaders who came to the ceremony.
It was an incredibly fast turn of the new president’s first overseas trip, leaving no time to discuss his tariffs in the European Union, directions of normalizing relations with Russia or his trochanter towards his assertion that Europeans must take much greater responsibility for their own defense.
Trump told his aides he wanted to return to his golf resort in New Jersey before the end of the day.
The funeral pageantry, which includes seating for senior officials and moments of worship in which world leaders attended hand-shakes of peace, was loaned out for Diplomatic Tea Leaf reading. But Trump’s 15-minute meeting with Zelensky was surrounded by symbols and mystery of its own.
Photos from the session presented by Ukraine showed that the meeting took place at St. Peter’s Basilica. The two men concluded their conversation deeply as they waited for service to begin. It was an amazing scene. It was an improvisational meeting between the two men, and they kept no secret of their deep disgust or distrust from each other.
It was the first time they had seen each other since their controversial encounter in the oval office in late February. Zelensky was told to leave the White House, his lunch was left unmet and no economic partnership deal was signed.
White House spokesman Stephen Chen called the encounter at Saturday’s funeral a “very productive discussion,” but there were no details. In a post after X, Zelensky described it as a “good meeting” where the pair discussed “one, one, one, one,” including security guarantees to ensure Russia does not use ceasefire as an opportunity to attack and attack again.
Trump’s quick departure came despite a suggestion from a Ukrainian spokesman that more consultations will take place in Rome on Saturday. After Trump boarded to leave the Air Force, a spokesman said the second meeting would not happen due to “the president’s extremely strict schedule.”
The brief meeting came at a key moment with a push to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.
“They’re very close to the deal,” Trump wrote about social social later Friday after landing in Rome. “Both sides should meet the ‘finishing’ at a very high level. ”
However, when Zelensky arrived in Rome, Russia claimed that Ukraine had recaptured the last village of Kursk, the Russian territory that it invaded last summer. Ukraine denied that its forces had withdrawn completely.
Earlier this week, the US presented Ukraine with a plan for a ceasefire that would effectively control all the lands that Russia has illegally seized since the invasion began three years ago. The proposal also includes the formal US perception that the Crimea, seized by Moscow in 2014, is now Russian territory and is a major reversal of American policy.
Zelensky said last week that Ukraine would never make that concession. However, he traveled to Rome with opposition Proposal and Ukrainian officials said it would end the conflict on much more generous terms in Russia. However, the counteroffer does not say whether Ukraine will fully regain Crimea or completely regain other territories seized by Russia. We will also postpone discussions on the territorial issue until after the ceasefire.
Neither proposal meets some of Putin’s requests. This sharply limits the size of the Ukrainian army.
Back home, Trump posted lengthy messages to his predecessors Barack Obama and Joseph R. Biden Jr. partially denounced the Ukrainian light letter. “This is a sleepy Joe Biden war, not my war,” he wrote.
He also criticized the Russian leader. “There has been no reason for Putin to fire missiles in civilian regions, cities or towns over the last few days,” he wrote. “Maybe he’s going to want to stop the war. He’s just tapping me.”
Zelensky’s explanation of the meeting revealed that he learned lessons from his encounters in the oval office.
“A very iconic meeting that could become historic if joint results were achieved,” he wrote. He said, “Thanks @Potus.”
Among the points raised in the discussion were “a complete and unconditional ceasefire” and “a reliable and enduring peace that prevents another war from erupting.” The end was worth noting. Trump’s proposal only includes vague security guarantees for Ukraine. The Ukrainian proposal is being supported by the US and calls for European peacekeeping forces.
Zelensky also met with other leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer. In a post from X, Macron included a photo of himself walking alongside a Ukrainian leader, saying Zelensky is “prepared for an unconditional ceasefire.” Meloni and Starge’s office highlighted Zelensky’s desire to “ensure just and lasting peace.”
After taking office, Trump revealed that his first overseas trip this semester wanted to come to the Middle East.
Instead, his first trip ended up in Italy at a funeral, where he was surrounded by European leaders, has been criticising him as a freeloader who does not want to pay his share of defence on the continent, and as a leader of the European Union who said he was “formed to screw the United States.”
The service itself reminded Pope Francis of his strong criticism of the Trump administration’s policies regarding the massive deportation of immigrants.
During Homily, Cardinal Giovanni Batista mentioned the Pope’s trip to the Mexican and US border.
There was a certain irony at a meeting between Zelensky and Trump at the funeral. The Pope initially struggled to balance his support for what he called “the Ukraine of Marty” and his efforts to avoid taking a full flank in the war. In 2023, he hinted at a secret “mission” that brings peace to Ukraine, which had not been able to bear fruit. In his final Christmas speech, the Pope sought the “boldness needed to open the door to negotiations” would certainly have welcomed the move to peace.
Foreign officials attending the funeral were sitting in alphabetical order based on their country’s names in French. That led to Trump and first lady Melania Trump quickly falling from Macron between Finland and Estonian leaders.
Without a more substantive meeting, every handshake and conversation between Trump was scrutinized for political significance at a moment of transatlantic discrepancy. He briefly greeted Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, who sat several chairs from him. For the past three months, von der Leyen has not been notable for leaders visiting the White House.
He chatted briefly with Mr Macron, Zelensky and Mr Stage before the service began.
Meloni’s office, who has a friendly relationship with Trump, has released a photo showing him with his hands on his shoulder, showing him walking by Mrs. Trump in a conversation inside St. Peter’s Cathedral. Neither Meloni’s office nor the White House issued a statement indicating substantial consultations were held.
Maria Valenikova contributed a report from Kiev. Stephen Castle in London. Segoren le Straddic of Paris. Emma Bubola and Josephine de la Bleuyeres of Rome.
