US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz reported that it was the US President Donald Trump that sought personal talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the Pope’s funeral, informs The Telegraph.
– The thing he was determined to do was to talk to Zelensky face to face and talk about how we’re going to get the largest land war in Europe to an end, Waltz said of the meeting between the presidents in St Peter’s Basilica.
Criticized Putin
He says Trump was determined to meet the Ukrainian president in person at the Vatican to drive forward negotiations for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.
The American president has changed his tune towars his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in recent days, criticizing him for continued bombing raids and suggesting he has been stringing the US along over his ambitions to sign a peace deal.
Argument at the White House
The last time the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House was on February 28, 2025, for a high-stakes meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
The session, intended to solidify U.S. support for Ukraine and finalize a joint mineral resources agreement, devolved into a public and televised confrontation.
The meeting ended abruptly without any agreements signed, and Zelensky departed the White House earlier than scheduled.
Trump invited Zelensky
Donald Trump reportedly invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky back to the White House in March, following their contentious meeting in February 2025, but Zelensky has yet to return to the US.
Their meeting at the Vatican was their first face-to-face encounter since their heated meeting at the Oval Office in February.