Zelenskyy Calls Vatican Meeting with Trump the Most Productive to Date

May 3, 2025 TruthUSA

Zelenskyy highlighted the U.S.–Ukraine minerals agreement as a significant result from the meeting, urging Ukrainian lawmakers to ratify it swiftly.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Friday that his recent meeting with President Donald Trump at the Vatican was the “most significant” they have held.

Speaking to reporters in Kyiv on May 2, Zelenskyy noted that the discussion with Trump, which occurred on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral on April 26, marked a change in tone and substance between the two leaders.

“I believe our conversation with President Trump was the best we’ve had to date. It may have been brief, but it was the most meaningful. With all due respect to our teams, I think the one-on-one format worked best,” Zelenskyy said, as reported by Ukrainian news agency Interfax-Ukraine reports.

Zelenskyy mentioned that their private meeting within St. Peter’s Basilica bypassed diplomatic formalities, creating the “right atmosphere for genuine dialogue.”

In a video address to the nation on May 1, following the signing of the much-anticipated U.S.–Ukraine minerals agreement by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko signed, Zelenskyy expressed his appreciation for the meeting with Trump, calling it “meaningful.”

“We anticipate further outcomes from that dialogue—it was a significant meeting, and President Trump and I maximized our time,” he stated. “I appreciate that, and I want to thank both of our teams—the Ukrainian and American. The preparation for the agreement was highly professional, and although negotiations were at times tough, the outcome is a solid one.”

Following Zelenskyy’s White House visit on February 28, U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators continued to finalize the details of the minerals deal, albeit with some signs of tension emerging in the concluding phase.

Zelenskyy emphasized that the newly signed minerals deal, which affords U.S. companies preferential access to Ukraine’s rare earth and strategic mineral resources, represents the first concrete result stemming from the Vatican meeting—and hints at future developments.

“In fact, this is the initial tangible result of that Vatican meeting, making it genuinely historic,” he stated.

According to the deal’s terms, a joint supervisory board, composed equally of Ukrainian and American representatives, will oversee a new investment fund aimed at supporting postwar reconstruction, industrial development, and defense infrastructure.

Zelenskyy called on Ukrainian lawmakers in the Verkhovna Rada to promptly ratify the agreement, whose structure signifies “a truly equal partnership” that will provide economic benefits for both nations while bolstering Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Zelenskyy’s remarks come as the United States indicates a shift in its role as the primary mediator in the Ukraine–Russia conflict. U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce informed reporters during a May 1 briefing that while the U.S. continues to support peace initiatives, it will no longer engage in shuttle diplomacy, emphasizing that it is time for Kyiv and Moscow to communicate directly.

“Our approach will evolve, as we will not act as mediators,” she mentioned. “We remain committed to assisting in this matter and will provide support where we can. However, we will no longer travel extensively to facilitate meetings; this is now a matter between the two parties.”

“This is the moment for them to showcase and develop concrete plans for ending this conflict,” she added. “The responsibility lies with them.”

Bruce’s comments followed a statement from Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov who said that the Ukraine–Russia conflict remains too complicated for a swift resolution, indicating a potentially drawn-out process.

Trump has made resolving the longstanding conflict a key focus of his 2024 presidential campaign, asserting a commitment to broker a peace deal quickly. Last week, Trump stated that Russia and Ukraine are “very close to an agreement,” noting that most major points have been settled.

“They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now engage at high levels to ‘wrap it up,’” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social after arriving in Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral, coinciding with his meeting with Zelenskyy.

Trump has indicated that Kyiv may need to consider territorial concessions as part of any peace agreement, a proposal Zelenskyy has been reluctant to accept.

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