Pope Francis’ casket met by thousands of mourners
Pope Francis’ casket was met by thousands of mourners in honor of his 12-year papacy.
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held what the White House described as a “productive” meeting on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome.
It was their first in person meeting since they were involved in a fiery exchange at the White House in February, and comes as Trump has pushed for Ukraine to strike a deal with Russia to end the three-year-old war.
White House communications director Steven Cheung said Trump and Zelenskyy “met privately today and had a very productive discussion.” A spokesman for Zelenskyy said the meeting lasted about 15 minutes.
Ukraine said the leaders would meet again later in the day. The White House has not confirmed the meeting.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance have warned Ukraine that Washington could abandon trying to negotiate a Ukraine-Russia peace settlement if there is no progress on a deal soon.
Trump and his aides want Ukraine to accept a U.S. proposal that would effectively grant Russia all the territory it has gained in the war since 2022. The proposal also appears to call for the U.S. to recognize Russia’s claim on Crimea, a region of Ukraine that Russia annexed in 2014. The U.S. plan, which Zelenskyy has publicly rejected, also appears to block Ukraine’s ambition to join the NATO military alliance.
When Trump and Zelenskyy met in the Oval Office in February, the American president berated Ukraine’s leader for not demonstrating enough gratitude for U.S. support in his country’s fight against Russia.
Trump sat in a front-row seat at the pope’s funeral in a packed St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. He wore a blue suit in a sea of black. His wife, first lady Melania, wore a black dress and black veil.