Vatican meeting with Trump could be historic if results achieved: Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy says his Vatican meeting with Trump was good and could be historic if it helps bring peace to Ukraine. They discussed a ceasefire and protecting people's lives

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday (April 26) that his meeting at the Vatican with US President Donald Trump could prove historic if the "peaceful end" to Ukraine's war with Russia that they discussed is achieved.

 

He described the meeting as a good and symbolic one. The Ukrainian President added that they were able to "cover a lot of ground" through a one-on-one discussion. "It was a very symbolic meeting that has the potential to become historic if we achieve joint results. Thank you, President Donald Trump," Zelenskyy wrote in a post on social media platform Telegram.  

 

 

He added, "Good meeting. One-on-one, we managed to discuss a lot. We hope for a result from all the things that were spoken about." Topics of the discussion included "the protection of the lives of our people. A complete and unconditional ceasefire. A reliable and lasting peace that will prevent a recurrence of war".

 

Zelenskyy further said that Ukraine expects to achieve results from all the matters discussed, including the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and the establishment of durable and lasting peace aimed at preventing a new outbreak of war.  Notably, Trump and Zelenskyy met in Vatican City on the sidelines of the pope's funeral to discuss a potential ceasefire deal. This marks the first meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy since their Oval Office encounter in February, when the US President and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of showing "ingratitude" for American support.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Trump pushing for peace deal

Speaking on the meeting, Steven Cheung, White House communications director, said, “President Trump and President Zelenskyy met privately today and had a very productive discussion. More details about the meeting will follow.”  

Trump, who has been urging both sides to agree to a ceasefire, said on Friday that his envoy had held productive discussions with Russian leadership. He also called for a high-level meeting between Kyiv and Moscow to finalise a deal. 

Trump had earlier warned that his administration would abandon efforts to secure peace if the two sides fail to reach an agreement soon. Washington’s proposal includes the legal recognition of Crimea — annexed by Moscow in 2014 — as Russian territory, a step Kyiv and its European allies have firmly rejected, calling it a red line that cannot be crossed. 

Kyiv's incursion completely failed: Putin

Earlier in the day, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced that all Ukrainian troops had been forced from Russia's Kursk region. In a statement, Putin congratulated the Russian soldiers and commanders and said that Kyiv's "incursion" had completely failed.

 

The complete defeat of our enemy along Kursk's border region creates the right conditions for further successes for our troops and in other important areas of the front," he said.