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Shortly after sitting down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral, Donald Trump was left with a lingering concern: perhaps Vladimir Putin was just “tapping” him along.
The second Trump-Zelensky meeting, by all accounts, was a much more positive affair than their notorious clash in the Oval Office in late February. And on Wednesday it appeared to pay off - with the U.S. and Ukraine finally signing a long-awaited minerals deal.
Now insiders have revealed details of the Vatican exchange between the two world leaders, and how it may have helped create a diplomatic breakthrough and boost Ukraine’s fortunes in the ongoing war with Russia.
The setting for the two meetings could not have been more different. In February at the Oval Office it looked as if Zelensky had wandered into enemy territory, Trump surrounded by his combative cabinet, and the world’s media hanging on every angry word. Tempers soon frayed as Ukraine’s leader was lambasted for everything from his appearance to his attitude.
At the Pope’s funeral, perhaps inevitably, it was a much quieter and seemingly more respectful affair.
After a brief huddle with French President Macron and British Prime Minister Starmer, Trump and Zelensky spoke privately for around 15 minutes in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican before attending the late pontiff’s service on Saturday.
Unlike their first encounter, swarmed by top Trump officials, this time, they spoke alone.
Extraordinary photographs captured the leaders hunched forward, sitting mere inches apart inside the marble-clad Renaissance-style church as they discussed tactics to end Russia’s conflict with Ukraine.
“Good meeting,” Zelensky posted on X after the meeting. “We discussed a lot one on one.”
The other noteworthy difference in Trump and Zelensky’s more recent face-to-face - the absence of JD Vance. During the Oval Office clash, Vance had gone on the attack - accusing Ukraine’s leader of being ‘disrespectful’ and setting the tone from what became an ugly encounter.
Sources told Axios that the two presidents struck a more positive tone without the U.S. vice president OR White House envoy Steve Witkoff sitting in the wings. The Ukrainians are said to see the latter duo as more supportive of Russia’s position.
During the brief conversation, Zelensky urged Trump to take a tougher line with Vladimir Putin and push for a ceasefire, urging that the Russian president would not budge without the U.S. applying more pressure, sources said.
One person with knowledge of the conversation noted that Trump responded that he may have to alter his approach to Putin.
Later Saturday, Trump took to Truth Social to express fears that he was being played by the Russian leader and accused him of not wanting to “stop the war.” He questioned whether he should impose new sanctions on Moscow.
Trump reportedly agreed with Zelensky that an unconditional ceasefire should be the starting point for peace talks, one source added. The White House declined Axios’ request for comment.
After the initial ceasefire push failed in March, the Trump administration switched to pushing a peace deal framework. Zelensky rejected the proposal, in part, because it includes recognition of Crimea as Russian territory.
During the Vatican meeting, the Ukrainian president reiterated that he won’t recognize Crimea as Russian, one source said.
The source said Trump replied that he wasn't asking him to, with the plan calling for U.S. recognition, not Ukrainian.
Zelensky allegedly told Trump he is not afraid of making concessions to end the war, provided appropriate security guarantees are put in place.
The U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal that appeared in tatters just months ago was revived, and Trump pressed Zelensky to sign as soon as possible, a source said.
“I was telling him that it's a very good thing if we can produce a deal, that you sign it, because Russia is much bigger and much stronger,” Trump told a NewsNation town hall over the phone Tuesday, a day before Washington and Kyiv struck a deal.
Trump also revealed that part of the talks revolved around the U.S. being pressured to send more weapons to Ukraine.
“He told me that he needs more weapons, but he's been saying that for three years,” the president said. “We're going to see what happens – I want to see what happens with respect to Russia.”
However, Trump stated he was “very disappointed” with Putin for the “bombing of those places after discussions.”
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