Pope Francis’ funeral has just concluded but, as someone aptly put it in a post on X, the late Catholic leader has already performed his first miracle: Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky sat down for a one-on-one in St. Peter’s Basilica before the beginning of the funeral rites.
Zelensky’s top aide, Andriy Yermak, was the first to report on the meeting in a post on Telegram that showed the two leaders immersed in intense conversation in the Basilica, with a single word as a caption: “Constructive.”
After the meeting the Ukrainian leader said on X it was a “good meeting”, “very symbolic” and also mentioned a “full and unconditional ceasefire.”
The White House described the 15-minute meeting as “very productive.”
The meeting came a day after Trump said Russia and Ukraine were “very close to a deal” following talks between special envoy Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday.
Apart from the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents, a host of leaders and monarchs were present in Rome today to bid farewell to a controversial but undoubtedly impactful pontiff: from Harry, Prince of Wales, and German chancellor Olaf Scholz to French president Emmanuel Macron, Spain’s king Felipe VI and Swedish monarch Carl XVI Gustaf. Javier Milei headed a sizable delegation, paying homage to the late Argentine pope.
