Zelensky Hopes for Peace as He Touts "Productive Meeting" With Trump: "Results Expected"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday said his brief meeting with President Trump in Vatican City was “good” and “symbolic,” as the U.S. continues to facilitate peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

“Good meeting. We discussed a lot one on one,” Zelensky wrote on social platform X, just hours after the two met ahead of Pope Francis’s funeral . “Hoping for results on everything we covered.”

“Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results,” he added, sharing a photo of the two. “Thank you @POTUS.”

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, without providing more detail, also touted the exchange as “productive.”

The meeting marked the first one-on-one interaction between the two world leaders following a contentious meeting in the White House Earlier this year, Trump did. also railed against Zelensky in recent days, accusing him of waffling on a looming mineral deal criticizing the head of Ukraine for refusing to accept Crimea considered as part of Russian territory and blaming the war partially on Ukraine’s push to join the NATO security alliance.

Following his severe critiques, Russia launched deadly drone strikes earlier this week when he visited Kyiv — an action that made Trump question Putin’s ultimate goals. blasted the Russian president in a Friday posting On his Truth Social platform , calling the strikes “not necessary” and “very bad timing.”

On Saturday, the president raised the stakes. acknowledging suggests that the Russian leader might be "giving him encouragement." is a turn from what he said nearly a week earlier.

"There wasn't any justification for Putin to launch missiles into civilian regions, cities, and towns during the past several days," Trump said. posted online while traveling back to the U.S. from Rome.

He remarked, "This leads me to believe that perhaps he isn’t interested in ending the conflict; instead, he might be merely manipulating me. We may have to approach this issue differently, possibly using 'Banking' or 'Secondary Sanctions.' The death toll is far too high!!!"

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This content must not be republished, rebroadcasted, rewritten, or distributed without permission.

To stay updated with the newest information on news, weather, sports, and live videos, visit The Hill.