US President Donald Trump said that most of the points of a possible agreement to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine have been agreed.
According to the American leader, a meeting between the two countries is needed "at a very high level".
“Good day for talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine. They are very close to a deal and now the two countries need to meet at a very high level to get this done“, Trump wrote on the social network Truth Social. "Most of the main points have been agreed upon," the US leader stressed.
Trump said that US officials "will be where they are needed to help end the conflict."
The fourth meeting this year between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the US leader's special envoy, Stephen Witkoff, took place on Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin's adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said the conversation lasted three hours and was "constructive and very useful." Trump called the meeting good.
The US president left unanswered the question of the possibility of a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in Rome.
"I will meet with some people in Rome," Trump said while answering questions from reporters on board his plane en route from Washington to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis. Trump stressed that he would not be in Italy for long and thought it was "a little disrespectful to have meetings when you're at the Pope's funeral".
"I'm going to talk to people, I'm going to see a lot of people", Trump said, confirming specifically that he would meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Asked if he would have contact with his predecessor Joe Biden, who will also attend the Pope's funeral, Trump noted that this item "is not at the top of his list". "We're going to try to meet with a few people who are important to what we're doing", Trump concluded.
Earlier on Friday, Trump did not rule out the possibility of meeting with Zelensky in Rome. Answering a reporter's question on the South Lawn of the White House, Trump said: "Well... It's possible."
The 266th Pope Francis (Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio), who led the Roman Catholic Church since 2013 after the abdication of his predecessor Benedict XVI, died on April 21. The funeral in St. Peter's Basilica and the burial in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore will take place on April 26. In addition to Trump, the presidents of Brazil and France have also announced their decision to attend. Representatives of various churches and denominations will also gather. Trump will leave Rome on the evening of April 26 to return to the United States.