Zelensky and Trump's Vatican chat: lip‑reader reveals exchange

Just before the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican, there was a meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump. The brief conversation stirred a lot of emotions, especially since it was not officially disclosed what it was about. An expert in lip reading decided to solve this mystery.

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky talked briefly before Pope Francis's funeral.
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky talked briefly before Pope Francis's funeral.
Images source: © PAP | PAP/EPA/FOREIGN AFFAIR MINISTR HANDOUT HANDOUT

What do you need to know?

  • Meeting at the Vatican: Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump met at the Vatican just before the funeral of Pope Francis.
  • Leaders' conversation: Zelenskyy and Trump talked for only a few minutes, but the meeting was described as "very productive" by the White House.

Historical meeting?

This was the first meeting of both leaders since the memorable confrontation in the Oval Office in Washington, D.C.

Although the recording of the meeting at St. Peter's Basilica is very short, Nicola Hickling, a lip-reading expert, decided to decode it.

"I would like you to do it, but not in this way," Zelenskyy supposedly said to the U.S. President. Trump supposedly replied: "That's a very interesting strategy, I assure you."

What did Trump say to Macron?

During the meeting, when Emmanuel Macron joined the conversation, there was a cold exchange of words. "You are wrong. You have to do me a favor, you shouldn't be here," Trump supposedly said to Macron, according to the lip-reading expert. The recording shows Zelenskyy nodding in agreement with the U.S. President.

Both the White House and the Ukrainian side emphasize that the meeting was "very productive" and "very symbolic." The conversation took place after Trump declared that a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia is "very close."

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