Donald Trump meets Zelensky at Pope Francis’ funeral, weeks after White House spat
US President Donald Trump met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, at the Vatican on Saturday before the funeral of Pope Francis began, the White House confirmed.
(FILES) US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.(AFP)
The meeting comes weeks after the two leaders had a public spat during a media interaction in Washington DC, when Zelensky had gone to the United States to talk and sign a minerals deal with the Trump administration. This is the duo’s first meeting after that spat.
White House communications director Steven Cheung said they “met privately today and had a very productive discussion” and that more details would follow, the Associated Press reported.
Trump arrived at the Vatican with his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, for the funeral of Pope Francis, who had passed away at the age of 88 on Monday. The Republican was seated in the front row, not far from French President Emmanuel Macron, for the outdoor service.
Trump told reporters on Friday, as he flew to Rome, that he was going to the funeral “out of respect” for the pontiff.
The Donald Trump-Volodymyr Zelensky spat
The spat between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky occurred when the Ukrainian President flew to Washington DC, to sign a minerals deal with the US on February 28. Before signing, Zelensky asked US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance to give his country security guarantees against future Russian aggression.
Trump and Vance opposed Zelensky’s request for US security guarantees as the US tried to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump said that Ukraine’s push for US security guarantees could risk a global conflict, telling President Zelensky that he was “gambling with World War III.”
The Republican called the request disrespectful, saying that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky was pushing for US commitments to protect Ukraine from further Russian aggression.
“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.
