Trump and Zelensky share a moment at the papal funeral within Vatican's confines, their first encounter since the controversial White House disagreement.
In a casual meet-up at St. Peter's Basilica, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky chatted it up on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral last weekend. This marked their first squeeze-in since a dramatic White House spat earlier in the year.
Zelensky mentioned they discussed the possibility of an unconditional ceasefire with Russia and expressed optimism regarding the potential of this encounter to go down in history. He didn't reveal many details, but mentioned they covered topics such as protecting their citizen's lives, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a reliable and lasting peace to avoid another conflict.
The war cast a dark shadow over the funeral preparations, and while Francis was being laid to rest, Russia declared that its forces had "fully liberated" the border Kursk region. Ukraine, however, maintained that their army was still battling in Kursk, hoping to use this territory as a bargaining chip in future peace talks.
Photographs captured Trump and Zelensky engaged in a deep discussion in a corner of the basilica, demonstrating their undivided attention as the pope's simple wooden coffin stood before the altar.
Zelensky took to his social media platform to express his thoughts, writing, "Had a long one-on-one with Trump. 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."
Recently, Trump has presented a "final offer" framework aimed at ending the war, requiring Ukraine to recognize Crimea as part of Russia and relinquish the majority of territories seized by Russia following the 2022 invasion, including significant areas in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
However, Ukrainian officials have strongly rejected this proposal, viewing it as excessively favorable to Russia. Instead, they advocate for an unconditional ceasefire to precede any further negotiations. Russia, for its part, has yet to endorse this American ceasefire plan and continues military action within Ukraine.
The outcome of these discussions depends on Russia's willingness to engage and accept terms, which remains uncertain amidst ongoing hostilities and geopolitical pressure.
- Volodymyr Zelensky, during his meeting with Donald Trump at St. Peter's Basilica, proposed an unconditional ceasefire with Russia, expressing hope that this encounter could contribute to a reliable and lasting peace to prevent future conflicts.
- Russia, despite Ukraine's efforts to use territory, like Kursk, as a bargaining chip in peace talks, declared that its forces had "fully liberated" the border Kursk region.
- In a recent development, Trump presented a framework for ending the war, which includes Ukraine recognizing Crimea as part of Russia and relinquishing territories seized by Russia following the 2022 invasion.
- Ukrainian officials have rejected this proposal, advocating for an unconditional ceasefire to take place before any further negotiations, as the outcome of these discussions hangs on Russia's willingness to engage and accept terms.
