Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump held a brief meeting in Rome before the funeral ceremony of Pope Francis.
According to presidential spokesman Serhiy Nikiforov, the conversation took place in St. Peter’s Basilica and lasted about 15 minutes.
According to him, the parties agreed to continue negotiations after the funeral ceremony, and teams are currently working on organising the next meeting, “Suspilne” reports.
According to AFP, a White House official called the discussion between the leaders ‘very productive’ and confirmed intentions to hold further talks.
This is the first personal meeting between Zelensky and Trump after a tense exchange in February this year.
Earlier, the Office of the President reported that Zelensky and his wife were planning a trip to Italy to attend the funeral of Pope Francis. However, due to a massive missile attack on Ukraine on the night of 24 April, the president cut short his visit to South Africa and returned to Kyiv. At the time, Nikiforov noted that Zelenskyy’s further travel schedule would depend on the situation in the country.
During a visit to the site of Russian shelling in Kyiv on 25 April, Zelensky said that if he was unable to attend in person, Ukraine would be represented at the funeral by a delegation at a ‘dignified level.’ The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously announced that the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Andriy Sybiga, would attend the ceremony.