Trump and Zelenskiy have ‘very productive’ meeting in Rome, says US official

U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy met for around 15 minutes at the Vatican on Saturday and agreed to meet again later the same day for further talks, a spokesman for Zelenskiy said.

The 15-minute meeting took place at St. Peter’s Basilica, the spokesman said. Photos released by Zelenskiy’s office showed the two men sitting opposite each other in the middle of a marbled hall, with none of their aides in the vicinity.

Another photo released by Zelenskiy’s office showed Trump and Zelenskiy standing in a huddle in the same location, along with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

The meeting at the Vatican, their first since an angry encounter in the Oval Office in Washington in February, comes at a critical time in negotiations aimed at bringing an end to fighting between Ukraine and Russia.

“President Trump and President Zelenskyy met privately today and had a very productive discussion. More details about the meeting will follow,” said Steven Cheung, White House communications director.

Trump, who has been pressing both sides to agree a ceasefire, said on Friday that there had been productive talks between his envoy and the Russian leadership, and called for a high-level meeting between Kyiv and Moscow to close a deal.