Trump and Zelenskyy Patch Things Up at Pope Francis’ Funeral Amid Ukraine Crisis

In an unexpected reunion that’s got people talking across the globe, former President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met up face-to-face in Rome while attending Pope Francis’ funeral. The two leaders hadn’t seen each other since that infamous spat back in February, which ended with Zelenskyy storming out of the White House. Talk about awkward family reunions.

Details about what went down during their chat are scarce — White House Communications Director Steven Cheung described it as "a very productive discussion." Apparently, diplomacy’s new secret ingredient is mystery.

Zelenskyy later took to Twitter, calling the encounter "very symbolic" and hinting that it might even be "historic." Given their last argument was so heated that Zelenskyy called it "bad for both sides," even a civil handshake is progress.

This meeting comes at a tense moment: peace talks between Ukraine and Russia are more frozen than a New York February. Both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin are digging in their heels, making competing demands that seem to go nowhere fast.

Trump, fresh off his arrival in Rome, fired off on Truth Social about the need to "stop the bloodshed, NOW" and suggested that Russia and Ukraine are "very close to a deal." He encouraged the powers-that-be to meet at the highest levels and get it done, promising that the U.S. would help however it could to end the "cruel and senseless war."

But Trump didn’t stop there. He’s been busy dishing out criticism on both Zelenskyy and Putin. He told Putin to "stop" the strikes on Kyiv, making it clear he’s not happy with the Kremlin’s attacks. The day before, he called out Zelenskyy for refusing to recognize Russia’s control over Crimea, which Putin’s forces took back in 2014. Honestly, Trump seems to be handing out tough love to everyone involved.

Despite Putin snubbing several U.S. peace proposals, the White House still thinks Trump might just be the guy to broker a deal. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters there were "good meetings over the weekend," all focused on ending the conflict. He even said, "This war is endable. Both sides just have to agree to it." Which sounds simple enough—if only world peace were just a handshake away.

As for Trump, he’s sticking to his own "deadline" for delivering peace and says he sees "a very good chance" of getting a deal done. Whether it’s optimism or just classic Trump bravado, only time will tell if this Roman rendezvous really goes down in the history books.