Trump, Zelensky meeting at Pope Francis' funeral 'very productive': White House
US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met inside the St Peter's Basilica, ahead of Pope Francis' funeral today.
The White House described the 15-minute meeting as "very productive" and a Ukrainian spokesman said the pair will meet for a second time later on Saturday, reports BBC.
They attended the service in Vatican City alongside other heads of state and royals including Prince William, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.
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Their meeting comes one day after Trump said Russia and Ukraine were "very close to a deal", following talks between his envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday.
The meeting was the fourth such visit Witkoff had made to Russia since the start of the year, with the three-hour talks later described as "very useful" by Putin aide Yuri Ushakov.
Saturday's meetings are the first time the two leaders have met face-to-face since February after an unprecedented confrontation occurred in the Oval Office.
During the heated exchange Trump accused the Ukrainian president of "gambling with World War Three" by not going along with ceasefire plans led by Washington.
During the funeral the pair were not seated near one another due to the seating arrangements being organised in French alphabetical order.
