Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky met briefly at Pope Francis's funeral on Saturday, marking their first encounter since a tense White House meeting. The meeting occurred as Trump pushes Zelensky to make a peace deal with Russia. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the funeral, a spokesman for the Ukrainian presidency confirmed. White House communications director Steven Cheung also confirmed the meeting, calling it a "very productive discussion".

Trump and Zelensky, along with their wives, were seated in the front row of the funeral in St Peter's Square. Tensions have been high since Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticized Zelensky in the Oval Office on February 28, calling him ungrateful for the billions of dollars of U.S. military assistance given since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Trump, while urging President Vladimir Putin to halt Russia's attacks, has blamed Zelensky for the war and bloodshed. He has also pushed Zelensky to accept concessions, such as acknowledging that Crimea, seized by Moscow in 2014, will remain in Russian hands under any deal. Trump advocated for Russian and Ukrainian leaders to meet after progress in talks, stating, "They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to 'finish it off'." Putin discussed the "possibility" of direct talks with Ukraine with US envoy Steve Witkoff.

Zelensky rejected suggestions that Ukraine give up Crimea. Trump threatened to withdraw from peace efforts if progress toward a ceasefire isn't seen. Trump had promised to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours if elected president, but later said he was speaking "in jest".

A 15-minute meeting took place at St. Peter’s Basilica, with photos showing the two leaders in discussion. Zelensky expressed hope that the meeting could "become historic" and lead to a ceasefire and lasting peace. He thanked the U.S. president, while his head of office, Andriy Yermak, called the meeting "constructive". Other leaders, including Emmanuel Macron, were present, possibly facilitating the meeting. Trump and Zelensky agreed to meet again later on Saturday for further talks.

Following the meeting, Trump and Zelensky took their seats in the same row during the service. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re recalled Pope Francis’s message: “’Build bridges, not walls’ was an exhortation he repeated many times.” Witkoff departed Moscow after talks described as “very useful” by Putin aide Yuri Ushakov, who noted the discussions had “brought the Russian and US positions closer together”.

During the February Oval Office encounter, Trump accused Zelensky of “gambling with World War Three” by resisting Washington-led ceasefire initiatives. Kyiv has faced increasing pressure from Trump to accept territorial concessions, reportedly including Crimea. Zelensky has consistently rejected such ideas but suggested that “a full and unconditional ceasefire opens up the possibility to discuss everything”.