Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy met face-to-face in the grand halls of a Vatican basilica to discuss a possible ceasefire, after which the U.S. president accused his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, of not wanting to “stop the war.”
The White House described Trump’s meeting with the Ukrainian leader, held before Pope Francis’s funeral, as “very productive.” Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said on X that the meeting with the U.S. president was symbolic and had “the potential to become historic if we achieve joint results.”
It marked the first in-person meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy since a tense February encounter at the White House, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticized the Ukrainian leader, accusing him of showing ingratitude for U.S. aid.
Following the meeting, Trump posted on Truth Social, criticizing Putin. “There was no reason for Putin to be launching missiles into civilian areas, cities, and towns over the last few days,” Trump wrote.
“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war; he’s just stringing me along and must be dealt with differently, perhaps through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions’? Too many people are dying!!!” he added.
As part of its efforts to end the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Washington is engaged in intense mediation. On Friday, Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Putin in Moscow for three hours to discuss Washington’s peace proposal. Trump said that “most of the major points are agreed to” in a post on Truth Social, though he did not provide further details. He called for a meeting between Kyiv and Moscow’s leadership to finalize a ceasefire deal, which he described as “very close.”
Despite Trump’s eagerness for a deal, major differences remain between the U.S. vision for peace and what Ukraine and its European allies consider acceptable terms for a ceasefire.
According to two sets of peace plans published by Reuters on Friday, the U.S. proposal allows Moscow to retain the territories it has captured, including Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.
This is a non-starter for Ukraine and its European allies, with Zelenskyy reaffirming that the territory belongs to Ukraine.
“Our position is unchanged,” Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv. “The constitution of Ukraine states that all temporarily occupied territories belong to Ukraine.”
It also remains unclear whether Moscow will accept the U.S. peace proposal, which appears to offer substantial concessions to Russia.
On Saturday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that all Ukrainian troops had been forced out of Russia’s Kursk region, a key objective for Moscow. Ukrainian officials, however, disputed the claim.
Several technical details of a potential ceasefire deal still need to be resolved, including the process for lifting Western sanctions on Russia and the types of security guarantees that would be extended to Ukraine.
Trump acknowledged on Friday that the negotiations were “very fragile,” warning that U.S. mediation efforts would cease if no agreement is reached soon.
Meanwhile, fighting continues. The Kremlin blamed Ukraine for a car bomb that killed a senior Russian general near Moscow on Friday. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, the latest in a series of attacks on Russian military officials over the past three years.
The day before, Russia carried out its deadliest attack in months on Ukraine, launching 70 missiles and 145 drones, primarily targeting Kyiv.
The attack prompted Trump to again criticize Putin on social media. “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!” Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday.
