Trump and Zelensky Meet Face to Face at Pope Francis’s Funeral Following White House Disagreement
Vatican City: US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a face-to-face meeting at the Vatican on Saturday before Pope Francis‘ funeral ceremony, according to White House confirmation.
This encounter marks their first meeting since a public disagreement during Zelensky’s visit to Washington DC weeks ago, when the Ukrainian leader was in the United States to discuss and sign a minerals agreement with the Trump administration.
White House communications director Steven Cheung stated that the two leaders “met privately today and had a very productive discussion,” with more details to follow, as reported by the Associated Press. A Ukrainian official later indicated that both presidents plan to meet again soon.
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Trump arrived at the Vatican accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump to attend the funeral of Pope Francis, who passed away Monday at age 88. The US President was seated in the front row during the outdoor service, positioned not far from French President Emmanuel Macron. Speaking to reporters Friday while en route to Rome, Trump said he was attending the funeral “out of respect” for the pontiff.
The Donald Trump-Volodymyr Zelensky disagreement:
The tension between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky emerged when the Ukrainian President traveled to Washington DC on February 28 to sign a minerals deal with the United States. Before finalizing the agreement, Zelensky requested that President Trump and Vice President JD Vance provide his country with security guarantees against potential future Russian aggression.
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Trump and Vance opposed this request as the US attempted to bring the Russia-Ukraine conflict to an end. Trump expressed concern that Ukraine’s push for US security guarantees could potentially escalate to a global conflict, telling President Zelensky that he was “gambling with World War III.”
The US President characterized the request as disrespectful, stating that Ukraine’s President was pushing for American commitments to protect Ukraine from additional Russian aggression.
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“You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people,” Trump said. “You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have,” Trump added.