Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (right) and US President Donald Trump (AP photo)
After meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Rome, US President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday to criticise Russian President Vladimir Putin for recent attacks on civilian areas in Ukraine.
“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump wrote. “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
Trump further suggested that Putin “has to be dealt with differently,” potentially by imposing additional sanctions targeting Moscow.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Saturday that during a meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Friday, Putin expressed his willingness to engage in talks with Ukraine “without preconditions.”
Earlier on Saturday, Trump and Zelenskyy met privately in Rome just ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis.
The brief encounter marked the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since their contentious Oval Office discussion in February.
The two leaders will meet for a second time later in the day, said Ukrainian spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov. White House communications director Steven Cheung characterised the meeting as “very productive”, noting that further details would be provided in due course.
Trump has been actively pressing for a ceasefire, reportedly proposing a deal that would see the US formally recognise Russia’s occupation of Crimea and tacitly accept Moscow’s control over other territories in eastern and southern Ukraine.
This proposal has been met with resistance from Kyiv and its European allies, who insist that any territorial questions should be addressed only after a complete ceasefire and should be based on the existing line of control.
They are also pushing for robust security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any agreement. Saturday’s meeting was brief – lasting only several minutes – as both leaders, along with other dignitaries such as French President Emmanuel Macron, joined the funeral ceremony at the Vatican.
