Vatican City, April 26 : Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump held talks ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis in St Peter's Basilica.
Zelenskyy said that the meeting focussed on full and unconditional ceasefire.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy said, "Good meeting. We discussed a lot one-on-one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results. Thank you POTUS."
https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1916089502088524203
Notably, on February 23, a day before the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Pope had expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people, as per Vatican News.
"Tomorrow marks the third anniversary of the full-scale war against Ukraine: a painful and shameful occasion for all of humanity!" Pope Francis had expressed this during the Angelus address.
"As I renew my solidarity with the martyred Ukrainian people," the Pope had said, as per Vatican News, "I invite you to remember the victims of all armed conflicts and to pray for the gift of peace in Palestine, Israel, and throughout the Middle East, in Myanmar, in Kivu, and in Sudan."
Trump and Zelenskyy had a "very productive" meeting in Rome, a White House official said - their first since a tense Oval Office meeting in February this year, Al Jazeera stated.
"President Trump and President Zelenskyy met privately today and had a very productive discussion. More details about the meeting will follow," White House communications director Steven Cheung said on Saturday, Al Jazeera reported.
Tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy were on full display during their last meeting, when the Ukrainian president faced criticism from Trump and Vice President J D Vance over what they saw as a lack of gratitude for American support. A US reporter also accused Zelenskyy of disrespect for not wearing a suit, as per Al Jazeera.