The President of the United States had a surprise meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while they were both attending the Pope’s funeral. Before the funeral started, a lip reader claimed Donald Trump gave French President Emmanuel Macron a sharp warning made up of just five words.
Many world leaders, royals, and other important figures had gathered at the Vatican to pay their respects. As people were arriving at St. Peter’s Basilica, Trump briefly met with Zelenskyy. This was the first time the two had seen each other in person since their tense and uncomfortable meeting at the White House a few months earlier in February.
Before their private chat, Trump, Zelenskyy, Macron, and British Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer were spotted together. In photos, Macron is seen hugging Zelenskyy, but shortly after that, Trump pulled Zelenskyy aside for a private conversation.
A professional lip reader named Nicola Hickling studied their interactions and told The Sun that Trump had a very serious tone with Macron. According to her, Trump told Macron, “You are not in the right here, I need you to do me a favour, you should not be here.” Hickling said that after hearing this, Zelenskyy nodded in agreement, and a nearby vicar, who was caught on camera, looked quite alarmed by what he overheard.
After this moment, Trump and Zelenskyy sat down for what some people are calling a small “peace meeting.” In the conversation, according to the lip reader, Zelenskyy said something like, “I would like you to do that, but not this way.” Trump then supposedly responded by saying, “It’s a very interesting strategy. You have reassurance.”
A White House official later told *Sky News* that Trump and Zelenskyy had a very productive talk and agreed to meet again soon to continue their discussions. Zelenskyy himself posted on Twitter afterward, saying they had a good meeting where they talked about many important issues. He said he was hopeful they would see real results from the discussions and that the focus was on protecting Ukrainian lives.
Zelenskyy wrote that they talked about reaching a full and unconditional ceasefire, and about building a lasting peace that would stop another war from starting. He also said the meeting could end up being historic if it leads to real progress, and he thanked Trump in his post.
According to Zelenskyy’s spokesperson, Serhii Nykyforov, the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy lasted about 15 minutes.
Their relationship has had its ups and downs. Previously, Trump accused Zelenskyy of risking World War 3 during a heated and public argument at the White House, which led to Trump walking out early in front of the press.
Meanwhile, during the funeral, Trump faced criticism for not respecting the event properly. Some people accused him of breaking the dress code and being on his phone when he should have been paying his respects.
