Zelenski and Trump meet before Pope’s funeral

Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski and US President Donald Trump met in Rome before Pope Francis’ funeral.

Officials from both sides confirmed that the meeting took place, with the White House describing it as “very productive”. No more details have been published on the discussion.

Trump and Zelenski are present at the Vatican Office, along with other heads of state and grand pianos, including Prince William, the United Kingdom Prime Minister Sir Kiir Starmer and French President Emanuel Macron.

Their meeting comes one day after Trump said Russia and Ukraine were “very close to a deal” after conversations between his envoy Steve Vikof and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday.