Zelenskiy Meets with Trump in Optimistic Talks, Witnessing Sharp Rebuff of Putin

(The News Pulse) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he’s hopeful for a “reliable and lasting peace” after meeting one-on-one with Donald Trump, who later questioned whether Russia’s Vladimir Putin genuinely wants to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump and Zelenskiy huddled for about 15 minutes at the Vatican on Saturday just before the funeral for Pope Francis — a sign of Trump’s eagerness for a peace deal by April 30, the 100-day mark of his second term. He has been dialing up pressure for a deal that critics say may favor Russia in his bid to end Europe’s longest conflict since World War II.

“We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered,” Zelenskiy said on X. “Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results.”

While the White House called the discussion “productive,” Trump later criticized the Russian president in a social media, saying Putin may be stalling to avoid ending the war and suggesting further sanctions might be needed.

There wasn't 'any justification for Putin to target civilians with missile strikes' recently," Trump tweeted as he flew back to the U.S. "This leads me to believe he might not intend to end this conflict; perhaps he's merely keeping me engaged. We may have to address him using alternative methods such as 'banking restrictions' or 'secondary sanctions.'

The meeting between Trump and Zelenskiy on Saturday marked his first encounter since their controversial discussions in the Oval Office in late February. According to someone privy to the conversation, they talked about a truce, air defense systems, and key aspects of the peace process during their talk.

Zelenskiy also had a meeting in Rome with French President Emmanuel Macron and intends to have a rendezvous with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as stated by Ukraine’s foreign minister.

The funeral for Pope Francis drew numerous international delegations, with many hoping to gain an audience with the U.S. president during his inaugural foreign visit in January.

Zelensky's visit to the Vatican came after a large-scale attack by Russia. attack In the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and the eastern city of Kharkiv, at least 12 individuals were killed. The assault on Thursday marked Russia’s most extensive aerial strike campaign against Ukraine this year, causing the country’s leadership to cut short their trip to South Africa upon returning home prematurely.

Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met Putin in Moscow on Friday for the fourth time Following the U.S. inauguration, Zelenskiya seemed to extend an olive branch to Trump by admitting that Ukrainian forces wouldn't be able to reclaim Crimea. He stated that the U.S. might not need to deploy ground troops for security assurances; rather, they could offer intelligence support and advanced air defense systems.

The suggestions put forth by Washington involve acknowledging Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and essentially halting the conflict based mainly on current frontlines, which would leave Putin with authority over significant portions of eastern and southern Ukraine as reported by The News PulseNews. reported Ukraine would additionally need to give up its aim of becoming part of NATO.

On Thursday, Trump mentioned that he is exerting significant pressure on both parties involved in the conflict. He expressed his belief that Putin desires to reach an agreement, adding that they will discover more details shortly. When questioned about the concessions Russia has presented, Trump responded, "They want to halt the war and stop occupying the entire nation—quite a substantial compromise."

When Russia initiated its comprehensive assault in February 2022 with the aim of capturing Ukraine’s capital and overthrowing its administration within a projected timeframe of several weeks, it encountered significant opposition from Kyiv, thus failing to achieve these objectives.

While the Russian army now controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, it hasn’t significantly advanced during the last two years. Kremlin forces seized less than 1% of Ukrainian land in 2024 despite huge losses in personnel and equipment during a grinding ground campaign in Ukraine’s east.

--Assisted by Chiara Albanese.

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