by Olivier Acuña Barba •Published: April 26, 2025•18:07•3 minutes read
Potential historic meeting between Trump and Zelensky will take place at the Vatican | Photo: Ukrainian Press
Donald Trump and Volodmia Zelensky held a short one-on-one meeting at the Vatican just before attending Pope Francis’ funeral. The Ukrainian president said the chat could prove “historic.” And while the US president has argued that the peace deal is very close, his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, says his army is ready to succeed in Ukraine.
While he has questioned Putin’s willingness to end the war through a post on true society after leaving the Vatican, Trump believes Russia and Ukraine are “very close to a deal.”
However, he first denounced former President Joe Biden on former President Barack Obama for the war and the annexation of Russia’s Crimea. “This is a sleepy Joe Biden war, not my war,” he said. “It was a loser from day one and it would never have happened, and if I were the president at the time it would not have happened,” he continued: “I am trying to clean up the mess left behind by Obama and Biden.
“All of that is said, so there was no reason Putin would fire missiles in civilian regions, cities, or towns over the past few days,” Trump added. “Maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just bashing me, and I have to deal with it differently through ‘bank’ or ‘secondary sanctions?’ Too many are dying!!!”
Trump may change his mind about Putin
Trump’s words suggest a change in his attitude towards Putin, which he previously praised, but he denounces Zelensky and even calls him a dictator.
The meeting with US and Ukrainian leaders was the first in-person encounter since February in an oval office where things have become sour.
Zelensky expressed his satisfaction with the meeting with Trump, during which they discussed the defense of the Ukrainian people, an unconditional ceasefire, and a lasting peace that could end the war.
A Zelenskyy spokesman told Rome news reporters that the meeting with Trump lasted about 15 minutes, but both leaders agreed to meet again later Saturday. However, the meeting was not held in Rome due to a conflicting schedule.
When talking to Americans, “Putin lies”
French President Emmanuel Macron recently wrote to X: “When he talks to Americans, President Putin says: I want peace, but he continues to bomb Ukraine and kill civilians.
This Saturday, X’s Macron said he had a “very positive exchange” with Zelensky. He also said, “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire. President Zelensky has repeated this to me. It’s up to Putin to prove that he really wants peace.”
Russia once again violates Polish airspace
Also this Saturday, Polish forces issued an official statement on the X, accusing Russia of violating airspace for the second time this year.
“The nature of the incident shows that Russia is testing preparations for its air defense systems,” the military statement said. “Helicopter flights were observed in the Baltic Sea.” On February 11th of this year, a Russian SU-24MR reconnaissance aircraft violated Polish airspace in the eastern part of Gdansk Bay.
Putin says the “neo-Nazi” regime is closer to defeat
In Moscow, Putin claimed that his troops eventually expelled Ukrainian troops from Kursk, the last Russian village they held, according to the Russian state-owned organisation TASS. It also confirmed that North Korean soldiers fought alongside the Russians at Kursk.
Putin’s following statement does not appear to come from anyone seeking a peace agreement with Ukraine. “The complete defeat of the enemy in the boundary Kursk region creates the conditions for even more successful operations by the military in other major frontline regions, leading to the defeat of the neo-Nazi regime.”
Kiev denied that the force had been expelled from Kursk and said it was still active in Belgorod, another Russian region adjacent to Ukraine, Reuters reported.
