President Donald Trump has criticized Vladimir Putin and suggested a change in his stance toward the Russian president, after meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky before the Pope's funeral.
According to foreign media, the Ukrainian President said the one-on-one talks could prove to be "historic" as photos showed him sitting across from Mr. Trump, about two steps apart, in the large marble hall inside St. Peter's Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart's willingness to end the war after leaving Rome following Pope Francis' funeral at the Vatican, writes A2 CNN.
In a post on his "Social Truth" platform, he said there was "no reason" for the Russian president to "fire missiles at civilian areas, cities and towns, over the past few days."
He added: "It makes me think maybe he doesn't want to stop the war, he's just touching me and should be treated differently, through secondary sanctions? A lot of people are dying!!!"
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face meeting since a public spat in the Oval Office in February.
Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Trump, in which they talked about protecting the Ukrainian people, a complete and unconditional ceasefire, and a lasting peace that would prevent the continuation of the war.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president's office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as "positive" by the French presidency.
Zelenskyy's spokesman said the meeting lasted about 15 minutes and that he and Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday. (A2 Televizion)
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