On the 26th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump held a one-on-one meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time in about two months at the funeral service for Pope Francis.
President Trump had a private meeting with Zelensky before the funeral service. President Zelensky noted about the meeting, "It was a good gathering, and we discussed a lot one-on-one," adding, "If we achieve a common outcome, it could be a very symbolic gathering that could be a historic meeting."
The White House also assessed it as "a productive meeting." This gathering took place two months after Zelensky visited the U.S. in February, during which he and Trump, along with Vice President J D Vance, had a tense interaction.
After the meeting, President Trump stated on his social media platform, "Truth Social," that "Putin had no reason to launch missiles at (Ukrainian) civilian areas, cities, and towns over the past few days," and added, "I think it seems he has no intention of stopping the war."
He continued, "It makes one think that banks or 'secondary sanctions' should treat Putin differently than before," suggesting sanctions against Russia. "Secondary sanctions" refers to measures that prevent third parties trading with Russia from engaging in trade and financial transactions with the U.S.