Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that his meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Vatican on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral was their “best” yet and the two leaders discussed air defence systems and sanctions on Russia.
The brief meeting in Vatican between the leaders of Ukraine and US came at a time when America has threatened to take back its support for Kyiv and abandon the talks for a possible ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said that he and the US President Trump agreed that a 30 day temporary ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow would be the right strategy towards ending the war which began in February 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Today, our government team reported on the economic partnership with the United States. We have an agreement. It has been signed and will be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada for ratification. And we are interested in having no delays with it.
All our representatives did a good… pic.twitter.com/iVMHbQXvux
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 1, 2025
Without providing specific details, Zelenskyy said that he raised the topic of sanctions on Russia with the Republican leader and that Trump’s response on the issue was “very strong”, comments released by Kyiv’s presidential administration stated.
“I believe that we had the best conversation with President Trump of all those that have taken place before, it may have been the shortest, but it was the most substantive,” Zelenskyy said on Friday.
Talking about the landmark critical minerals deal signed between US and Ukraine on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said that it was a mutually beneficial deal which would allow Ukraine to defend future US investments, its territory and people.
The landmark minerals agreement, endorsed by Trump, would give the United States preference to access Ukraine’s new minerals deal and open up US investments in reconstruction of Ukraine. Zelenskyy said that the money would initially be reinvested and wouldn’t leave the country.
Talking about purchasing American weapons from the US, Zelenskyy said “I told him about the quantity, and he told me that they would work on it, that these things are not free.”
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