JD Vance, Zelensky meet at Vatican for the first time after White House spat
US Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had clashed during a meeting at the White House in February.
US Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met for the first time since their White House spat, smiling and shaking hands at the Vatican on Sunday as the Holy See celebrated the enthronement of Pope Leo XIV.
For the second time in weeks, world leaders and other dignitaries descended on Rome — this time to celebrate the first mass of Leo XIV, who was chosen as pontiff this month.
Delegations from more than 100 countries are on hand at the Vatican. Zelenskiy was greeted by some applause as he arrived in St Peter’s Square, and Leo took a popemobile tour through the piazza.
Zelenskiy was seated next to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, with Vance close by. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni been pushing for a meeting between the Brussels-based leader and the US administration as a trade war looms, and their proximity on Sunday may help pave the way.
As the first US-born pontiff, Leo’s so far focused his message on achieving peace in Ukraine and Gaza, signaling that he might continue — or expand — the geopolitical engagement of his predecessor, Pope Francis.
President Donald Trump, Zelenskiy and Vance last met at the White House in February, when they clashed over the future of peace in Ukraine in a televised meeting described as one of the worst diplomatic incidents in recent history.
During that meeting, Vance asked Zelenskiy if he had “ever said thank you once” for billions of dollars in aid delivered to the war-torn country by the US since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Trump and Zelenskiy met again in the Vatican last month at the funeral of Pope Francis, a brief discussion that the White House described as hopeful and Zelenskiy called “substantive.”
Negotiations in Istanbul last week between Ukrainian and Russian teams failed to yield a breakthrough on a potential ceasefire. Trump on Monday plans to call Putin and Zelenskiy separately, he announced on Saturday, in a bid to stop the “bloodbath” in Ukraine.
