After meeting with the American president, Volodymyr Zelensky felt for the first time that he was able to at least partially change Trumpʼs attitude towards Putin.
Axios writes about this.
During the meeting with Trump, Zelensky stressed that Putin would not change his position without additional pressure from the United States. In response, Trump noted that he may have to adjust his attitude towards Putin. Zelensky also called on Trump to return to his original idea — an unconditional ceasefire as a basis for starting peace talks. Ukraine supported this approach, but Russia refused. According to sources, Trump seemed to agree to such a proposal. The White House did not confirm or deny this information, and Zelenskyʼs representative refused to comment.
The Ukrainian president also reiterated his position on Crimea — Kyiv does not recognize it as Russian territory. Trump made it clear in response that he did not expect this from the Ukrainian president. According to the plan being discussed, the US, not Ukraine, would recognize the peninsula as Russian.
Zelensky also assured Trump that he was ready to compromise to end the war — but that clear and reliable security guarantees for Ukraine were needed. During the conversation, Trump stressed the need to sign a bilateral agreement between the United States and Ukraine on minerals as soon as possible.
During the conversation, Zelensky asked Trump not to withdraw from negotiations to end the Russian-Ukrainian war, Ukrainian sources told The Economist.
The Economist believes that Trumpʼs publication criticizing Putin, which appeared after the meeting at the Vatican, indicates that he understood Zelenskyʼs message.
"His pointed rebuke to Putin for ʼleading him by the noseʼ was the sharpest to date," the article says.
As Axios notes, one of the reasons why this conversation took place in a more positive vein could have been the absence of the Vice President J.D. Vance and the White House Special Representative Steve Witkoff, who are perceived in Ukraine as supporters of the pro-Russian position.
According to the publication, before the funeral of Pope Francis, the Ukrainian president received preliminary signals about Donald Trumpʼs readiness to meet with him on the sidelines. This information caused concern among Volodymyr Zelenskyʼs advisers. Some of them doubted and refused this meeting.
According to one of the sources, there were no clear agreements regarding this meeting before arriving at the Vatican. Initially, it was assumed that the leaders would be able to talk after the ceremony. However, already on the spot, the presidents unexpectedly crossed paths and decided to have a face-to-face conversation in St. Peterʼs Basilica. The meeting lasted about fifteen minutes.
Zelensky and Trump meeting
Zelensky and Trump met before the Popeʼs funeral on April 26 at St. Peterʼs Basilica. Their meeting lasted 15 minutes.
The White House called it “very productive”. Trump called the meeting “great”. The US president said he was “surprised and disappointed” by Russia’s missile strike on Kyiv and wanted Putin to stop the shelling and sign an agreement to end the war.
"He [Zelensky] is calmer now. I think he understands the picture and wants to make a deal," Trump stressed. He added that the Ukrainian president had talked about the need for more weapons, "but heʼs been saying that for three years, letʼs see what happens next".
Volodymyr Zelensky also commented on the meeting with Trump. He called it "symbolic" and one that "has the potential to become historic" if joint results are achieved. Zelensky thanked the US president.
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