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President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were brought together for Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday for the first time since their explosive Oval Office clash nearly two months ago.
The meeting followed a week of public attacks on Zelensky from Trump, who blamed him for holding up peace talks in its three-year war with Russia.
Zelensky was unsure about attending the funeral until the last minute, saying on Friday that he might have to deal with matters related to Russia’s missile strike Thursday that killed 12 people and injured 87.
Zelensky arrived in Rome with Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska on Saturday morning, according to the Kyiv Independent, citing the president’s spokesperson.
Trump and first lady Melania arrived in Italy on Friday for their first international trip of his second term.
Trump and Zelensky’s public appearance together in Rome comes after a tense week of stalled peace negotiations in the Russia-Ukraine war, which Trump blamed Zelensky for holding up.
Zelensky pushed back on a framework presented by the US to negotiators in Paris last week that included granting Russia most of the Ukrainian territory it has captured over the last decade and squashed Ukraine’s hopes of joining NATO.
Ahead of a meeting Wednesday in London between the US and European leaders — which was expected to be a make-or-break moment in negotiations — Zelensky said in an interview that Ukraine would “not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff then canceled plans to attend the London talks, which ended without a deal.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted Zelensky for “trying to litigate this peace negotiation in the press” and said the president’s “frustration is growing.”
Trump called Zelensky’s remarks “very harmful” to the peace negotiations and said they would only “prolong the ‘killing field.'”
“It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War,” Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social.
“He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country,” the president added.
Trump’s post also referenced the notorious Feb. 28 shouting match in the Oval Office between himself, Zelensky and Vice President JD Vance.
The televised visit, which was supposed to include the signing of a framework deal giving the US a stake in Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals, devolved after Zelensky appeared to make a condescending comment to Vance.
On Friday afternoon, Trump pressured Zelensky to sign the deal.
“Ukraine, headed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has not signed the final papers on the very important Rare Earths Deal with the United States,” he posted on Truth Social.
Thanks to long-standing Vatican protocols that seat heads of state in alphabetical order according to their country’s names in French, the delegation from the US — which translates to États-Unis — was seated far away from Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova in his place.
Zelensky last met Pope Francis in October during an official visit to the Vatican. In December, the pontiff referred to Russia and Ukraine as “brothers.”
Although Trump and Francis sparred over immigration back in 2016, Trump on Friday said he was a “fantastic kind of guy.”
He “loved the world” and “was just a good man,” Trump added.
With Post wires
English (US)