The office of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that today, on the sidelines of the mourning ceremony for Pope Francis, the Ukrainian leader held a meeting with US President Donald Trump, who also attended the event, reported Agence France-Presse, BTA reports.
“The meeting was held and ended“, Zelensky's spokesman Serhiy Naryshkin told journalists, without providing further details.
Earlier today, the two leaders arrived separately with their wives at “St. Peter's Square“ in front of the basilica of the same name in the Vatican, where the mourning ceremony is now taking place.
The last meeting between the two presidents was in late February in the Oval Office of the White House and it ended in an argument.
US President Donald Trump had a “very productive conversation” on during his meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican today, which took place before the start of the mourning ceremony for Pope Francis, Reuters reported, citing a White House official.
White House communications director Stephen Chung said that Trump and Zelensky "met privately today and had a very productive conversation."
"We will be sharing the details of the meeting with you soon," he said. According to Sky News, The presidents of the United States and Ukraine have agreed to continue their conversation after the end of the funeral liturgy.
Ukrainian and U.S. Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump met for about 15 minutes on Monday and agreed to meet later that day for further talks, Reuters reported, citing a spokesman for the Ukrainian president.
The 15-minute meeting took place in St. Peter's Basilica, according to the same source. Photos released by Zelensky's office showed the two presidents sitting opposite each other in the middle of a large marble hall. None of their aides were around, Reuters noted.
Another photo released by Zelensky's office showed Trump and Zelensky standing together with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.