“Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic,” he posted. “We discussed … a reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out.” The word “potential” did a lot of work.
For Zelensky, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The White House’s plan threatens to divide Kyiv from its European allies and risk fragmenting domestic support. His own counterproposal calls not just for peace, but justice: Russian reparations, full withdrawal, and binding security guarantees backed by NATO forces. To compromise now would be to erase years of Ukrainian resistance and political capital.
The exchange marked a shft in tone.Credit: AP
Still, both leaders clearly understood the weight of the moment. Papal funerals have long served as unlikely backdrops for diplomacy. In 2005, at Pope John Paul II’s funeral, George W. Bush was controversially seated near United States adversaries like Syria and Iran. Prince Charles shook hands with Robert Mugabe, drawing sharp criticism. These are the kinds of global ceremonies where silence speaks volumes, and a handshake can stir headlines.
This time, the Vatican bent its own protocol. Leaders are typically seated by country name in French, meaning Zelensky would normally have landed in the third row. Instead, he was placed in the front row, just 11 seats away from Trump, between Emmanuel Macron and the leaders of several NATO frontline states. It was no accident. The message: Ukraine is still centre stage, no matter the shifting winds in Washington.
Their interaction was brief but intense. No deal was struck, but the image itself was powerful – two men who last clashed in the White House, now huddled together in the world’s holiest Catholic site, whispering about war and peace.
The timing – during this pope’s funeral – gave the encounter symbolic weight. Francis spent his final years trying, and largely failing, to broker peace. He dispatched envoys, urged ceasefires, and appealed to the “common humanity” of both sides. Yet his efforts often drew criticism, especially from Eastern Europe, for appearing overly neutral, or even soft on Moscow.
This ambiguity fits a Vatican tradition. Throughout the 20th century, from World War II to the Cold War, the Holy See cultivated neutrality, preferring quiet diplomacy over public condemnation. At times, that silence sparked global outrage, as with its response to Nazi atrocities.
Now, with Ukraine again under siege, the Vatican has struggled to balance its pacifist ideals with the brutal reality of aggression.
It was against this backdrop that Trump and Zelensky met – negotiating war in a place devoted to peace, before a pope who spent his final days pleading for it.
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It was a reminder that diplomacy doesn’t always happen in gilded halls or formal summits. Sometimes, it happens between two chairs in a cathedral, surrounded by incense, prayer, and unresolved grief.
Whether this conversation proves historic or hollow will depend on what follows. But for 15 unscripted minutes in Rome, a war’s future – and the fate of two presidents – hung in the balance.
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