Trump reveals what he really told Zelensky during surprise one-on-one meeting at Pope Francis’ funeral

WASHINGTON, DC: There was a lot of speculation about what was said when President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ended up face-to-face in St Peter’s Basilica this past weekend at Pope Francis’ funeral.

The unexpected Vatican meet-up marked their first sit-down since that infamous Oval Office clash back on February 28, where things got so tense that Zelensky left the White House without securing a minerals deal. This time, however, cooler heads prevailed.

Here's what Donald Trump says he told Volodymyr Zelensky

Trump, 78, has finally set the record straight about what they discussed at the pope's funeral.

“I was telling him that it’s a very good thing that, if we produce a deal, that you sign it,” he revealed during a NewsNation town hall hosted by Chris Cuomo. “Russia is much bigger and much stronger.”

That message came on the heels of Russia’s renewed attacks. Trump recently commented on Truth Social, “There was no reason for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities, and towns, over the last few days.”

He seemed skeptical about Putin’s intentions. “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’” Trump asked.

The real story behind Trump and Zelensky's meeting at Vatican

While the photos made it look serene, the run-up to the Vatican meeting was anything but smooth. According to sources, Zelensky, 47, was getting “signals” that Trump wanted to meet on the sidelines of the funeral — but his own team wasn’t sure it was a smart move after how badly things went in DC.

Zelensky’s advisers were “nervous,” with some still reeling from the Oval Office disaster and warning against another one-on-one. Initially, there were no formal plans — just the idea of a possible post-funeral chat.

Then fate intervened. The two leaders bumped into each other as they arrived and found a quiet corner inside the basilica to talk it out. 

Despite past tensions, Zelensky came away seeing potential. He called the meeting “very symbolic” and said it “could prove significant if we achieve joint results.”

Donald Trump's push for peace amid posturing

Trump continues to push for ending the war between Russia and Ukraine — something he’s been vocal about for months. He's lately made it clear that he might just walk if he doesn't see any results.

“The president has devoted 100 days and his very top people to Russia and Ukraine, and if peace is not achieved, it will be because it can’t be achieved. It just cannot,” said White House chief of staff Susie Wiles in a statement to the New York Post on Tuesday.

Solving the war remains a “goal,” Wiles added, noting how Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has already met with Putin three times on Russian soil. 

Still, Trump isn’t sugarcoating his position. During their earlier White House encounter, he told Zelensky he was outmatched. “You don’t have the cards," he remarked. This week, he doubled down to Cuomo that Zelensky still has “no cards to play.”

In the past, Trump’s even gone so far as to blame Ukraine for starting the war and has repeatedly pointed fingers at Zelensky for being an “obstacle” to peace.

Trump admin signs mineral deal with Ukraine but war still rages

Despite all the friction, the Trump administration finally inked a minerals deal with Ukraine just hours before Wednesday’s town hall. The agreement, which was months in the making, sets up a 50/50 joint fund that could be key to rebuilding Ukraine.

According to Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, the fund will be filled using new licenses “for projects in the field of critical materials and oil and gas.”

That’s a big win for Kyiv — and a quite a turnaround from the no-deal fiasco that played out after the Oval Office showdown earlier this year.

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