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DONALD Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky met ahead of Pope Francis’s funeral for the first time since their historic White House spat.
The US and Ukrainian leaders also vowed to hold further talks after the service in the Vatican.
Just days ago the Republican also labelled brave Volodymyr Zelensky as the key obstacle to a Ukraine peace deal.
The pair are among fellow world elite, including British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, who are all attending the pontiff’s funeral.
Trump said yesterday that Russia and Ukraine are “very close to a deal” with “most of the major points agreed”.
The meeting marks the first time the two leaders have spoken since their infamous Oval Office spat.
In February, Trump told Zelensky he was “gambling with World War Three” before booting him out of the White House.
He accused the Ukrainian president of deliberately dragging out the war and insisted that a peace agreement with Russia “could be made very fast” – if Kyiv was willing to negotiate.
On Friday, Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, held three-hour “constructive and very useful” talks with Vladimir Putin — despite the Russian tyrant ignoring Trump’s earlier pleas to halt strikes on civilians.
The talks were hailed as “very useful” by Putin aide Yuri Ushakov, who said they helped “bring Russian and US positions closer together… not just on Ukraine but also on a range of other international issues.”
He added: “Specifically on the Ukrainian crisis, the possibility of resuming direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives was in particular discussed.”
The White House’s proposed peace plan would let Russia keep most of the Ukrainian territory it has seized so far, The Telegraph has reported.
This includes Crimea, the peninsula that was illegally annexed by Putin back in 2014 – eight years before the full-scale invasion.
But the plans as reported make no reference to security guarantees for Kyiv.
Zelensky remained defiant on Crimea, warning that Ukraine would never accept territorial concessions in any US-brokered deal.
“Our position is unchanged – only the Ukrainian people have the right to decide which territories are Ukrainian,” he told reporters.
His remarks followed President Trump’s claim that a peace deal was “pretty close,” as his envoy met with Putin in Moscow.
Speaking to reporters, the US president said: “They’re meeting with Putin right now, as we speak… I think in the end we’re going to end up with a lot of good deals, including tariff deals and trade deals.”
Trump also piled pressure on Kyiv, posting on Truth Social: “Ukraine, headed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has not signed the final papers on the very important Rare Earths Deal with the United States. It is at least three weeks late.
“Hopefully, it will be signed IMMEDIATELY. Work on the overall Peace Deal between Russia and Ukraine is going smoothly. SUCCESS seems to be in the future!”
Trump doubled down even further by telling TIME Magazine that “Crimea will stay with Russia” in Washington’s peace proposal.
The plans have been widely criticised as being overly favourable to Moscow and offering little assurance to Ukraine.
Lithuania has warned that surrendering Crimea would like “opening hell”.
On Thursday, Russia launched a deadly missile assault targeting civilian sin Kyiv that left at least nine dead.
Trump condemned the Russian dictator over the massive missile blitz on Kyiv, demanding: “Vladimir, STOP!”
Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko admitted Ukraine may need to succumb to Putin’s evil territory demands to stop the bloody war.
Speaking on Thursday after the attack on Ukraine’s capital, the former world heavyweight boxing champion said: “One of the scenarios is […] to give up territory.
“It’s not fair. But for the peace, temporary peace, maybe it can be a solution.”
Klitschko’s comments admitting that the war-torn country may have to give up land are the first from a senior Ukrainian politician since negotiations led by the US began in February.
Brave Zelensky hinted in November that he could be willing to relinquish territory temporarily, but on the condition that the rest of his country were given Nato protection.
Trump’s seven-point peace plan
THE US has drafted up a seven-point plan which, it hopes, will draw a path to peace between Ukraine and Russia.
A source with knowledge of the plan revealed the content of the main points, reports The Telegraph:
- Immediate ceasefire in Ukraine
- Direct talks between Ukraine and Russia
- Ukraine to be barred from joining Nato
- US to formally recognise Russian sovereignty over Crimea
- US to give de-facto recognition of four Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia along current lines of control
- Ukraine to sign minerals deal to share profits on natural resources with the US
- All US sanctions lifted on Russia and both countries co-operate on energy
