The last time Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky were together in public, the two had a blow out meeting in the Oval Office that led to raised voices and the latter essentially being evicted from the White House, according to reports. But a photo of the two men meeting on Saturday ahead of the late Pope Francis’s funeral in Rome has again gone viral, albeit for different reasons.
The two leaders were seen in deep discussion just minutes before the funeral began. The White House described the 15-minute meeting inside St. Peter’s Basilica as “very productive,” while Zelensky called it “very symbolic” with the “potential to become historic,” according to several reports. After departing Rome later in the day, Trump criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin, questioning his commitment to ending the war following Moscow’s recent strikes on Kyiv.
A picture truly is worth a thousand words.
At Pope Francis’ funeral, Zelensky is making one last desperate attempt to convince Trump to fund his war, and Trump is once again telling him that that the jig is up.
Historic scenes at the Vatican. pic.twitter.com/mXOYtmlkaM
— Clandestine (@WarClandestine) April 26, 2025
Posting on his social media account, Trump said there was “no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas”, adding: “It makes me think that maybe he [Putin] doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?'” Trump had previously stated that Russia and Ukraine were “very close to a deal” following Friday’s talks between his envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Saturday that Putin had confirmed to Witkoff Russia’s willingness to enter direct negotiations with Ukraine “without preconditions.” Trump and Zelensky’s meeting in Rome marked their first face-to-face encounter since their tense White House meeting in late February, where Trump told Zelensky, “you don’t have the cards” and warned he was not winning against Russia. However, the White House struck a more optimistic tone after Saturday’s meeting, while Zelensky called it a “very symbolic meeting that has the potential to become historic if we achieve joint results.”
Two images from the meeting were released, showing Trump in a blue suit and Zelensky in a black top and trousers, sitting across from each other in intense conversation. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also posted an image of the meeting on X with the caption: “No words are needed to describe the importance of this historic meeting. Two leaders working for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica.”