Donald Trump's meeting in the Vatican with Volodymyr Zelensky was hailed by both sides as historic. Whether it will help seal a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia will become clearer in the coming days.
Brought together by the funeral of Pope Francis, the US and Ukrainian presidents sat knee-to-knee on red and gold chairs in the giant nave of Saint Peter's Basilica, in their first meeting since their blazing televised row in the Oval Office in February.
"It was a beautiful meeting. I tell you, the nicest office I've ever seen, it's a beautiful, beautiful scene," Trump told reporters in Bedminster, New Jersey, the day after his return from Rome.
Trump said the meeting went well and played down the earlier row, saying "we had a little dispute because I disagreed with something he said and the cameras were rolling."
His National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said the meeting was "iconic."
"That meeting is going to go down in the history books," Waltz told Fox News's Sunday Morning Futures. "For President Trump to be a president of peace, to be talking peace and diplomacy in the Vatican, of all places."
Zelensky gave a similar verdict, saying it was a "very symbolic meeting that has the potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results."
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also turned up at the meeting, reflecting efforts by European powers to keep an often sceptical Trump singing from the same hymn sheet.
And whatever Zelensky said during the Vatican encounter, it appeared to work.
Hours afterwards, Trump appeared to turn against Vladimir Putin for the first time — a sharp reversal given his recent favourable tone towards the Russian leader. Trump reiterated on Sunday that he was "disappointed" that Putin's forces were still attacking civilian targets in Ukraine, adding: "I want him to stop shooting, sit down, and sign a deal."
Trump is nevertheless showing increasing impatience with both sides, as he tries to secure a peace deal he once bragged he could seal within 24 hours. He said he believed Zelensky was ready to give up Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014 — despite the Ukrainian leader repeatedly saying he would never do so.
And while the Zelensky meeting may have bought some time, the White House reiterated its stance that without rapid progress, it will soon walk away from its role as a broker.
Trump indicated that he would give the process "two weeks."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that "this is going to be a very critical week" for efforts to end the war. "We're close, but we're not close enough," Rubio told NBC's "Meet the Press" news programme.
Trump's comments about Putin reflected his frustration with Moscow's refusal to commit to a ceasefire, despite a series of meetings between Russian and US officials.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff has held multiple face-to-face meetings with Putin in Russia in recent weeks.
Witkoff — who has been pictured warmly shaking hands with Putin and strolling with the Kremlin's economic adviser in a shopping district — has however faced accusations from Ukraine of echoing Russian talking points.
The US property developer-turned-negotiator — who is also Trump's point man on Gaza — insists that he is using his experience in making deals on a personal level to end the Ukraine war.
One other person in Trump's close circle gave a personal call for peace after the Rome trip: First Lady Melania Trump, who marked her 55th birthday on the day of the funeral.
"I had the honour of attending Pope Francis's funeral, on this day, where I prayed for the healing of those who are suffering and for peace in the world," she said on X on Sunday, along with a black-and-white picture of herself with eyes closed and a raised veil.
Danny Kemp
The writer is White House correspondent for AFP
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