The President of the United States, Donald Trump, questioned the willingness of Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine after meeting in Rome with Ukrainian leader Volodimir Zelenski during the funeral of Pope Francis.
Through his network Truth Social, Trump expressed his concern following the recent Russian bombings of civilian areas in Kiev. He pointed out that there was no justification for such attacks and expressed his fear that Putin was "playing" with him instead of seriously seeking a negotiated exit to the war.
"I am just trying to clean up the mess that Obama and Biden left me, and what a mess it is. That said, there was no reason for Putin to be launching missiles at civilian areas, cities, and towns in recent days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn't want to stop the war; he's just pulling my leg, and we need to deal with him differently, whether through 'bank sanctions' or 'secondary sanctions'," said the president in his post.
The 15-minute meeting between Trump and Zelenski, held at St. Peter's Basilica before the funeral, was described by the White House as "very productive," while Zelenski stated that it had the potential to become a "historic" encounter. This marks the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since their tense confrontation at the White House last February.
During the exchange, Trump reiterated his position that Ukraine "had no cards to play" in negotiations with Russia. Although he had recently suggested progress toward a possible agreement following contacts by his special envoy with Putin, his latest statements showed skepticism about Moscow's actual willingness to achieve peace. For its part, according to BBC, the Kremlin reiterated its openness to engage in "unconditional" talks.
Images from the meeting show Trump and Zelensky engaged in a focused conversation, accompanied in the basilica by leaders such as British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and French President Emmanuel Macron, who are believed to have helped facilitate the dialogue.
After his meeting with Trump, Zelensky held bilateral meetings with Macron, Starmer, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The European leaders emphasized the need to maintain momentum towards a "just and lasting peace" in Ukraine.
Although Trump has suggested that Ukraine should consider territorial concessions as part of a peace agreement, Zelenski has firmly rejected that possibility, although he recently hinted that a "total and unconditional ceasefire" could open up new opportunities for dialogue.
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