Zelenskyy hails meeting with Trump at Vatican as potentially historic

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the Vatican as "good," saying it carries the potential to become historic.

In a statement posted on his Telegram channel, Zelenskyy shared his impressions of the encounter, which took place on April 26 on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media.

“A good meeting. Managed to discuss a lot of things one-on-one. A very symbolic meeting that has the potential to become historic if we achieve common results. Thank you, President Donald Trump!” Zelenskyy wrote.

According to Zelenskyy, the two leaders discussed critical issues, including the prospects for a "complete and unconditional" ceasefire, the protection of human lives, and securing a reliable and lasting peace that would prevent any future recurrence of military conflict. Zelenskyy expressed hope that their conversation would deliver tangible results.

Earlier, the White House's Communications Director Steven Cheung described it as a "very productive discussion." Cheung added that more details about the talks would be released later.

This encounter marked the first face-to-face meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy since a widely publicised confrontation at the White House earlier this year. At that time, tensions flared when Trump and Vice President JD Vance reportedly accused Zelenskyy of failing to show sufficient gratitude for US support in Ukraine’s war against Russia. According to accounts from that meeting, Zelenskyy was "essentially kicked out of the White House following the Oval Office blowout."

The renewed engagement comes as the Trump administration intensifies its efforts to broker a peace agreement to end the three-year conflict. Upon arriving in Rome, Trump told reporters that Russia and Ukraine were "very close" to reaching a resolution.

His remarks followed a high-level meeting between Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. That meeting was described by Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov as “constructive and very useful.”

By Tamilla Hasanova