President Trump flew briefly this weekend right into a European continent he has thrown into chaos in current months, paying respects to Pope Francis at his funeral, but additionally assembly with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine at a essential second which will determine each the nation’s boundaries and its destiny.
Mr. Trump was on the bottom in Rome for about 14 hours, and left instantly after the companies for the pope in St. Peter’s Sq., stopping just for handshakes or greetings with a couple of of the presidents, prime ministers, royals and non secular leaders who got here to the ceremony.
It was a startlingly quick turnaround for the primary abroad journey of a brand new president, and left no time for dialogue of his tariffs on the European Union, his flip towards normalizing relations with Russia or his insistence that Europeans should take far bigger accountability for their very own protection.
Mr. Trump instructed aides he wished to make it again to his golf resort in New Jersey earlier than the top of the day.
The pageantry of the funeral, together with the seating of dignitaries and a second within the service when world leaders joined in handshakes of peace, lent itself to diplomatic tea-leaf studying. However Mr. Trump’s assembly of quarter-hour or so with Mr. Zelensky was surrounded with a symbolism and thriller of its personal.
Images of the session launched by Ukraine confirmed that the assembly befell in St. Peter’s Basilica, the 2 males perched on cushioned steel chairs, deep in dialog as they waited for the companies to start. It was a outstanding scene — an impromptu assembly between two males who’ve made no secret of their deep dislike and mistrust for one another.
It was the primary time that they had seen one another since their contentious encounter within the Oval Workplace in late February, which led to a televised argument over Mr. Trump’s flip away from Kyiv, and towards a brand new relationship with Russia. Mr. Zelensky was instructed to go away the White Home, his lunch left uneaten and an financial partnership deal left unsigned.
A White Home spokesman, Stephen Cheung, referred to as Saturday’s encounter on the funeral a “very productive dialogue,” however gave no particulars. In a later submit on X, Mr. Zelensky described the transient discuss as a “good assembly” the place the pair mentioned “lots one on one,” together with safety ensures to verify Russia doesn’t use a cease-fire as a chance to rearm and assault once more.
Mr. Trump’s speedy departure got here regardless of a suggestion from a Ukrainian spokesman that extra talks would happen in Rome on Saturday. After Mr. Trump boarded Air Pressure One to go away, the spokesman then mentioned a second assembly wouldn’t happen due to the “very tight schedules of the presidents.”
The quick assembly got here at a essential second within the push to finish the battle between Ukraine and Russia, with Mr. Trump making an attempt to push Mr. Zelensky and President Vladimir V. Putin into direct talks.
“They’re very near a deal,” Mr. Trump wrote on Fact Social late Friday, after touchdown in Rome. “The 2 sides ought to now meet, at very excessive ranges, to ‘end it off.’”
However as Mr. Zelensky arrived in Rome, Russia claimed that it had retaken a final village in Kursk, the Russian territory that Ukraine invaded final summer time, partly to achieve leverage in negotiations. Ukraine denied that its forces had totally withdrawn.
Earlier this week, the US offered Ukraine with a plan for a cease-fire that may give Russia de facto management over the entire lands it has illegally seized for the reason that invasion started three years in the past. The proposal additionally features a formal recognition by the US that the Crimean Peninsula, seized by Moscow in 2014, is now Russian territory, a serious reversal of American coverage.
Mr. Zelensky mentioned this previous week that Ukraine would by no means make that concession. However he traveled to Rome with a counterproposal, Ukrainian officers mentioned, that may finish the battle on far much less beneficiant phrases for Russia, and that would come with billions of {dollars} in reparations for Ukraine, paid by Russia. The counteroffer makes no point out, although, of whether or not Ukraine would totally regain Crimea or different territory seized by Russia, and postpones dialogue of territorial points till after a cease-fire.
Neither proposal meets a number of of Mr. Putin’s calls for, together with that the scale of Ukraine’s army be sharply restricted.
Mr. Trump, flying again dwelling, posted a prolonged message blaming Ukraine’s plight partially on his predecessors, Barack Obama and Joseph R. Biden Jr., the latter of whom had been sitting 4 rows behind him on the funeral. “That is Sleepy Joe Biden’s Warfare, not mine,” he wrote.
He additionally criticized Russia’s chief. “There was no cause for Putin to be taking pictures missiles into civilian areas, cities and city over the previous couple of days,” he wrote. “It makes me assume that possibly he doesn’t wish to cease the battle, he’s simply tapping me alongside.” Mr. Trump additionally threatened new sanctions towards Russia within the submit.
Mr. Zelensky’s description of the assembly made clear that he had discovered a lesson from his Oval Workplace encounter: All the time present gratitude, even when sharp disagreements stay.
“Very symbolic assembly that has potential to turn into historic, if we obtain joint outcomes,” he wrote. He ended with: “Thanks @POTUS.”
Among the many factors coated within the dialogue, he wrote, have been a “full and unconditional ceasefire,” and a “dependable and lasting peace that may stop one other battle from breaking out.” The final was noteworthy: Mr. Trump’s proposal has solely obscure safety ensures for Ukraine. The Ukrainian proposal requires a European peacekeeping drive with the US offering backup.
Mr. Zelensky additionally met with different leaders, together with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, President Emmanuel Macron of France and Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain. In a submit on X, Mr. Macron, who included a photograph of himself strolling with the Ukrainian chief, mentioned Mr. Zelensky was “prepared for an unconditional ceasefire.” The workplaces of Ms. Meloni and Mr. Starmer emphasised Mr. Zelensky’s need to “safe a simply and lasting peace.”
After his inauguration, Mr. Trump had made clear that he wished his first journey abroad on this time period to be to the Center East, beginning with Saudi Arabia, the location of his preliminary go to throughout his first time period in workplace.
As a substitute, his first journey ended up in Italy on the funeral, the place he was surrounded by European leaders he has been denouncing as freeloaders unwilling to pay their share of the continent’s protection, and leaders of the European Union, which he mentioned was “fashioned to be able to screw the US.”
The service itself supplied a reminder of how Pope Francis had strongly criticized the Trump administration’s coverage on mass deportations of migrants.
Through the homily, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re referred to the pontiff’s journey to the border between Mexico and the US, one among his many “gestures and exhortations in favor of refugees and displaced individuals.”
There was a sure irony within the assembly between Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Trump on the funeral. The pope initially struggled to strike a steadiness between exhibiting help for what he known as “martyred Ukraine” and his effort to keep away from taking outright sides within the battle. In 2023, he alluded to a secret “mission” to deliver peace to Ukraine that didn’t bear fruit. The pope, who referred to as for “the boldness wanted to open the door to negotiation” in his ultimate Christmas handle, would have absolutely welcomed any strikes towards peace.
The overseas dignitaries who attended the funeral have been seated in alphabetical order based mostly on their nation’s title in French. That put Mr. Trump, sporting a blue go well with in a crowd dressed largely in black, and the primary woman, Melania Trump, in between the leaders of Finland and Estonia and simply down from Mr. Macron.
Within the absence of extra substantive conferences, Mr. Trump’s each handshake and dialog was scrutinized for political significance at a second of trans-Atlantic discord. He briefly greeted Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Fee, the manager arm of the European Union, who was sitting a couple of chairs down from him. Previously three months, Ms. von der Leyen was conspicuously absent from the leaders visiting the White Home.
He chatted briefly with Mr. Macron, Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Starmer earlier than the companies started.
The workplace of Ms. Meloni, who has a pleasant relationship with Mr. Trump, launched pictures exhibiting him along with his hand on her shoulder and one other exhibiting her strolling beside Mr. and Mrs. Trump, apparently in dialog, inside St. Peter’s Basilica. Neither Ms. Meloni’s workplace nor the White Home launched any statements suggesting that substantial talks befell.
Maria Varenikova contributed reporting from Kyiv; Stephen Fort from London; Ségolène the Stradic from Paris; and Emma Bubola and Josephine de la Bruyère from Rome.
