Trump’s 14 hours in Rome: Fleeting encounters amid global discord

The fast turnaround left no time for discussion of his tariffs on the European Union, his turn toward normalizing relations with Russia or his insistence that Europeans must take far larger responsibility for their own defense.

The pageantry of the funeral, including the seating of dignitaries and a moment in the service when world leaders joined in handshakes of peace, lent itself to diplomatic tea-leaf reading. But Trump’s meeting of 15 minutes or so with Zelenskyy was surrounded with a symbolism and mystery of its own.

Photographs of the session released by Ukraine showed that the meeting took place in St. Peter’s Basilica, the two men perched on cushioned metal chairs, deep in conversation as they waited for the services to begin. It was a remarkable scene — an impromptu meeting between two men who have made no secret of their deep dislike and distrust for each other.

It was the first time they had seen each other since their contentious encounter in the Oval Office in late February, which ended in a televised argument over Trump’s turn away from Kyiv and toward a new relationship with Russia. Zelenskyy was told to leave the White House, his lunch left uneaten and an economic partnership deal left unsigned.

A White House spokesperson, Stephen Cheung, called Saturday’s encounter at the funeral a “very productive discussion” but gave no details. In a later post on social platform X, Zelenskyy described the brief talk as a “good meeting” during which the pair discussed “a lot one on one,” including security guarantees to make sure Russia does not use a ceasefire as an opportunity to rearm and attack again.

The short meeting came at a critical moment in the push to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, with Trump trying to push Zelenskyy and President Vladimir Putin into direct talks.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.