Both the White House and Ukraine described the one-on-one meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump as “very productive”. The two leaders, leaning in close to each other with no aides around them while seated in St. Peter’s Basilica, spoke for about 15 minutes
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday said that his American counterpart Donald Trump’s views on the war have altered a bit after the duo’s last conversation at the White House in February.
Trump met Zelenskyy last month on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican. The Ukrainian president said, “I am confident that after our meeting in the Vatican, President Trump began to look at things a little differently. We’ll see. That’s his vision, his choice in any case.”
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Both the White House and Ukraine described the
one-on-one meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump as “very productive”. The two leaders, leaning in close to each other with no aides around them while seated in St. Peter’s Basilica, spoke for about 15 minutes, according to Zelenskyy’s office and images of the meeting released by Kyiv and Washington.
What did the two leaders discuss?
According to a readout by Zelenskyy’s office, the two leaders covered a wide range of topics during their brief meeting. Zelenskyy said he discussed air defence systems and sanctions on Russia with Trump.
He also said that the US president agrees that a 30-day-long ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow was the correct first step towards ending the war in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy further said the critical minerals deal signed by the two countries on Wednesday was mutually beneficial, and that it would allow Ukraine to defend future U.S. investments, as well as its own territory and people.
US withdraws from peace negotiations
Zelenskyy’s comments come hours after US announced its
withdrawal from formal peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
The United States will no longer indulge in shuttle diplomacy to bring the war between Ukraine and Russia to