Zelenskyy meets Trump at Pope’s funeral amid push for Ukraine-Russia ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met US President Donald Trump in the Italian capital, where both leaders were attending the funeral of Pope Francis, a spokesperson for Zelenskyy said.

No details were provided of the meeting, but it comes at a critical time in negotiations aimed at bringing an end to fighting between Ukraine and Russia.

Trump, who has been pressing both sides to agree a ceasefire, said on Friday that there had been productive talks between his envoy and the Russian leadership, and called for a high-level meeting between Kyiv and Moscow to close a deal.

Trump had previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.

The meeting in Rome is the first face-to-face encounter between Trump and Zelenskyy since an Oval Office meeting in February that turned into a shouting match.

Following that meeting, the United States cut off intelligence cooperation with Ukraine, which is critical to its efforts to stave off Russian attacks, though this was later restored.

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