Tense private meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy at Pope Francis’ funeral fuels speculation about a U.S.-Russia backdoor ceasefire — without Ukraine at the table.

Trump and Zelenskyy Lock Horns Again in Rome

The war over Ukraine’s future may have just shifted from the battlefield to the marble halls of Rome.

On Saturday morning, as the world gathered to bury Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Square, U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met face-to-face for the first time since their brutal Oval Office fallout in February — a meeting that White House insiders privately described as “frosty but critical.”

Official statements tried to downplay the tension, calling it a “very productive discussion.” But the context speaks louder:
Just hours before, Trump boasted that Ukraine and Russia are “very close to a deal” — a deal discussed not with Kyiv at the table, but behind its back in Moscow.

Trump’s handpicked envoy, Steve Witkoff, met directly with Vladimir Putin on Friday, hammering out what Trump described on Truth Social as a breakthrough: “Most of the major points are agreed to.”

The Kremlin chimed in, calling the secret negotiations “constructive.”

Left out entirely?
Ukraine.

Sources close to the talks say Trump is pushing for a “ceasefire” deal that prioritizes U.S.-Russia stabilization over Ukrainian territorial integrity — a move that would effectively strong-arm Kyiv into a settlement dictated by outside powers.

The Rome encounter between Trump and Zelenskyy, before the funeral began, was short and tense, according to European diplomats briefed on the sidelines. No official Ukrainian representation was present in Moscow, and Zelenskyy’s team remained tight-lipped Saturday morning.

La Repubblica reports that further talks between Trump and Zelenskyy are scheduled after the funeral — but with Trump’s Moscow track already in motion, Kyiv’s leverage may be slipping fast.

In the shadow of one pope’s death, a new battle for Europe’s future is quietly unfolding.