Zelensky presses Trump on Putin during Vatican encounter
Volodymyr Zelensky used his 15 minutes with Donald Trump at the Vatican to urge him to take a stronger stance against Vladimir Putin and focus more on achieving a ceasefire. This information comes from two sources familiar with the meeting that took place on Saturday, as reported by Axios.
What do you need to know?
- Meeting at the Vatican: Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump met at St. Peter's Basilica during the Pope's funeral services. The conversation lasted 15 minutes and was not prearranged.
- Topics of discussion: Zelensky stressed the necessity for Trump to adopt a firmer position against Vladimir Putin, highlighting the importance of applying increased pressure on Russia, according to Axios.
- Reactions and consequences: As noted by the source, Trump hinted at a possible shift in strategy towards Putin, which could influence future U.S. relations with Russia.
Zelensky and Trump's quarter hour at the Vatican: what were the key discussion topics?
During the Vatican meeting, Volodymyr Zelensky concentrated on the need to intensify pressure on Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky said that Putin would not budge unless Trump applied more pressure, according to Axios sources, which may have swayed Trump's opinion regarding the Russian leader.
The conversation occurred in a calm setting. According to the source, this could be due to the absence of Trump's pro-Russia advisor, J.D. Vance.
Will the conversation bring changes in U.S. policy?
Zelensky suggested a return to the idea of an unconditional ceasefire as a basis for peace discussions.
Sources cited by Axios highlighted that this was the first proposal to gain approval from Ukraine while being rejected by Russia. Trump is said to have agreed with this concept, which could signal a new direction in U.S. policy regarding the Ukrainian conflict.
The White House neither confirmed nor denied this information.
After returning from Rome, Trump made a social media post addressing Russian attacks on civilians. Axios comments on this as a growing concern of Trump's regarding the Kremlin's actions.
"It makes me think that maybe he doesn't want to stop the war, he's just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently," Trump wrote at the time.
