Zelensky, Trump attends Pope Francis's Funeral Ceremony

A Historic Encounter Amid Turbulent Times

In the historic halls of St. Peter's Basilica during Pope Francis' funeral, presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky found themselves in a brief, symbolic encounter, their first since the Oval Office debacle back in February.

The White House deemed the meeting, lasting a mere 15 minutes, as "productive," while Zelensky described it as "potentially historic." Their initial meeting in the White House had turned sour, plunging into a public spat after their conversation.

The expectation of a reunion in Rome post-funeral unfortunately didn't materialize as Trump departed almost immediately after the service. Yet, Zelensky expressed optimism, commenting that the conversation had the potential to be truly groundbreaking. "Good meeting. Had a chance to discuss many things one-on-one. Hope for results. Protection of our people's lives. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent the war from happening again. Very symbolic meeting with the potential to be historic if we achieve common results. Thank you, President Donald Trump!", he remarked on his Telegram channel.

The White House, through its communications director, Stephen Miller, characterized the meeting as a "very productive conversation," promising further details later on. Photos taken within St. Peter's Basilica also show Zelensky speaking with Trump not only privately but also with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Trump Questions Putin's Willingness for Peace

Following the meeting, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, stating, "There was no reason for Putin to be shelling civilian areas, both large and small cities, with rockets over the past few days. This makes me think that maybe he doesn't want to stop the war, he's just playing along, and we need to act differently, through 'Banking sector' or 'Secondary sanctions'? [Trump often uses quotes to emphasize certain words] Too many people are dying!"

This comment was a response to a lengthy critique against Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, whom Trump accused of biased reporting against himself and his Ukraine policy.

Journalists closely following Trump, including those from The New York Times, have often noticed a correlation between Trump's public statements and the person he spoke to immediately prior.

First Meeting Post-Oval Office Scandal

The April 2025 encounter between the presidents is the first since the heated exchange in the Oval Office in February, which culminated in a public disagreement. After a heated discussion about Russia and the war in Ukraine with Trump and Jake T. Vance, Zelensky and the Ukrainian delegation left the White House prematurely without signing a deal on mineral resources.

Vance then argued that Zelensky hadn't thanked the US enough for its help. Trump accused Zelensky of "playing with the Third World War." Trump returned to the White House, vowing to end the war in Ukraine within the first 24 hours of his presidency. Later, he extended this to six months, and recently threatened to halt the peace process within the next few days if he doesn't see clear signs of a deal being possible.

It was previously reported by CNN that the United States aims to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine within the first 100 days of President Donald Trump's administration.

"Currently, many things are being decided, but one thing is clear: the US insists on a deal within 100 days," CNN quotes a European official as saying.

Ukraine insists on a full and unconditional ceasefire before discussing permanent peace conditions, including territorial issues. However, the US threatens to stop trying to establish peace in Ukraine if quick results aren't achieved, expecting agreements between Kiev and Moscow within weeks, not months.

Proposed terms include Washington legally recognizing the annexation of Crimea, formally "freezing" the front line, Ukraine abandoning its NATO aspirations, and even lifting US sanctions on Moscow. Meanwhile, Kiev doesn't receive any clear security guarantees from Washington, though it won't be restricted in its army size or military aid from Western allies.

Expectedly, this plan was anticipated to be agreed upon at a meeting in London this week, with the participation of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Whitcoff, and US President Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.

However, only Kellogg arrived in the British capital from the US, and prior to these negotiations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the possibility of recognizing Crimea.

Meanwhile, US President's special envoy Stephen Whitcoff flew to Russia again to discuss conditions for a peaceful settlement of the war in Ukraine with Vladimir Putin. Prior to this, Donald Trump stated that he was putting pressure not only on Kiev but also on Moscow, and reported that as a concession, the Kremlin is ready to abandon the seizure of all of Ukraine.

President's assistant Yuri Ushakov described the three-hour talks with Putin as "very productive." According to him, they brought the "positions of Russia and the US closer not only on Ukraine but also on a number of other international issues," including the possibility of resuming direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives.

Enrichment Data:

Overall:

The April 2025 Trump-Zelensky meeting in Rome marked a critical juncture in U.S.-Ukraine diplomatic efforts following their February Oval Office confrontation. Here’s an analysis of its historic potential and expected peace terms:

Proposed Peace Deal Terms

Trump’s “Final Offer”:
Crimea recognition: U.S. acceptance of Crimea as Russian territory.
Occupied territories: Unofficial recognition of Russian control over areas seized since 2022.
Ceasefire sequencing: Immediate halt to hostilities, but without preconditions demanded by Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Counter-Proposal:
Unconditional ceasefire first: Demanded as a prerequisite to negotiations, rejecting territorial concessions upfront.
Security guarantees: Sought commitments from Western allies to prevent future Russian aggression.

U.S. Involvement and Strategic Moves

Diplomatic Channels:
Kremlin talks: Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow to discuss terms.
European coordination: UK’s Starmer and France’s Macron mediated post-meeting discussions.
Leverage Tools:
Banking sanctions: Trump hinted at secondary sanctions targeting Russian financial systems if attacks continue.
Negotiation posture: Trump framed recent Russian missile strikes as a sign Putin “doesn’t want to stop the war,” signaling tougher measures.

Historic Potential

The meeting’s symbolism—occurring in St. Peter’s Basilica amid a global gathering of leaders—could catalyze momentum for a deal. However, stark differences remain:- Ukrainian stakes: Zelensky labeled the talks “historic if we achieve joint results,” emphasizing sovereignty red lines.- U.S. pragmatism: Trump’s focus on ending the war quickly risks sidelining Ukraine’s territorial integrity concerns.

While both sides described the meeting as “productive,” the viability of any agreement hinges on bridging the gap between Ukraine’s ceasefire-first demands and Trump’s territorial concessions.

In spite of the turbulent history, President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the potential historic significance of his meeting with President Donald Trump during Pope Francis' funeral, remarking on the possibility of achieving common results.
The White House characterized the brief encounter between Zelensky and Trump as "productive," with Stephen Miller, the communications director, promising more details soon.
Journalists closely following Trump's public statements have noticed a correlation between his comments and the individuals he spoke to just prior, suggesting that Zelensky may have influenced Trump's recent comment on Putin's willingness for peace in the war-and-conflicts domain.
The April 2025 meeting in Rome marked the first post-Oval Office scandal encounter between the two presidents, reigniting diplomatic efforts concerning policy-and-legislation and politics, particularly pertaining to war-and-conflicts and crime-and-justice in Crimea.
The proposed peace deal terms remain controversial, as President Trump is advocating for U.S. recognition of the annexation of Crimea, while Ukraine insists on a full and unconditional ceasefire before discussing permanent peace conditions.