President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met face-to-face for the first time since their infamous Oval Office spat in February. They were attending Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome, though it is unclear exactly when they met.
Neither Ukrainian nor White House officials gave many details on the meeting; however, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said the leaders had “a very productive discussion.”
ZELENSKYY SPEAKS OUT AFTER PUBLIC SPAT WITH TRUMP, VANCE, SAYS DUSTUP ‘BAD FOR BOTH SIDES’
Zelenskyy later tweeted that the meeting was “very symbolic” and could potentially be “historic.”
In February, Zelenskyy abruptly left the White House after getting into an argument with Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Zelenskyy later told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier on “Special Report” that the incident was “bad for both sides.”
This meeting comes as peace talks between Russia and Ukraine appear to be at a standstill with Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin making competing demands.
“A good day in talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine. They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off.’ Most of the major points are agreed to. Stop the bloodshed, NOW. We will be wherever is necessary to help facilitate the END to this cruel and senseless war,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after arriving in Rome on Saturday.
TRUMP SAYS ‘INFLAMMATORY’ ZELENSKYY STATEMENT ON CRIMEA PROLONGS WAR WITH RUSSIA
Trump has criticized both leaders in separate posts on Truth Social. On Thursday, Trump demanded Putin “stop” strikes on Kyiv and said he was “not happy” with the Kremlin for continuing attacks on Ukraine. The day before, on Wednesday, Trump blasted Zelenskyy after he said that Ukraine would not recognize Russian control over Crimea, which Putin invaded in 2014.
Putin so far has rejected several U.S. proposals for a peace deal, but the White House remains optimistic about Trump’s ability to end the war.
TRUMP TELLS PUTIN ‘STOP’ AFTER DEADLY RUSSIAN STRIKES ON KYIV
“This war is endable. Both sides just have to agree to it,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. He also said there were “good meetings over the weekend,” which were presumably focused on ending the conflict.
Trump has said that he is sticking to his own “deadline” for achieving peace and added that he believes there is “a very good chance of getting [a deal] done.”