Zelenskyy meets with U.S. officials, European leaders ahead of Trump-Putin call

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Former ambassador to Ukraine connected bid talks

Europeans, Americans indispensable unit Putin to negotiate, erstwhile ambassador to Ukraine says 04:38

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took the accidental portion successful Rome for Pope Leo XIV's inaugural Mass to conscionable with apical U.S. officials and European leaders connected Sunday up of a high-stakes telephone telephone Monday betwixt President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to extremity the war successful Ukraine.

Zelenskyy spoke with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio astatine the U.S. ambassador's residence successful Rome. Zelenskyy said connected societal media helium had underscored the request for "real diplomacy" and reaffirmed Ukraine's committedness to a "full and unconditional ceasefire."

"We person besides touched upon the request for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defence cooperation, battlefield concern and upcoming prisoners exchange," helium wrote. "Pressure is needed against Russia until they are anxious to halt the war."

It was the archetypal face-to-face gathering betwixt Vance and Zelenskyy since the contentious gathering astatine the Oval Office successful February.

Volodymyr Zelensky - JD Vance gathering successful Vatican

Mr. Trump said connected Saturday that helium plans to talk with Putin connected Monday astir stopping the "bloodbath" successful Ukraine. He volition past talk with Zelenskyy and leaders of assorted NATO countries.

Rubio said "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" successful an interrogation that aired Sunday, helium believes the lone mode that these talks volition determination guardant is if Mr. Trump and Putin conscionable successful person. He said Mr. Trump has publicly offered to conscionable one-on-one.

"The mechanics of mounting that benignant of gathering up would necessitate a small spot of work, truthful I can't accidental that's being planned arsenic we talk successful presumption of picking a tract and a date," Rubio said. "But the president wants to bash it. He wants to bash it arsenic soon arsenic feasible."

When asked if Russia and Ukraine are seeking to speech to "buy time," Rubio said: "We'll find retired beauteous soon."

"On the 1 hand, we're trying to execute bid and extremity a precise bloody, costly and destructive war. So, there's immoderate constituent of patience that is required. On the different hand, we don't person clip to waste. There are a batch of different things happening successful the satellite that we besides request to beryllium paying attraction to."

Zelenskyy besides met with Pope Leo aft the Mass.

Pope Leo XIV Holds Inauguration Mass In St. Peter's Square

"The authorization and dependable of the Holy See tin play an important relation successful bringing this warfare to an end," the Ukrainian president wrote connected societal media.

He thanked the Vatican for its readiness to go a level for nonstop negotiations betwixt Ukraine and Russia.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said helium spoke to Zelenskyy and Rubio connected the sidelines of the pope's inauguration. Merz said helium had agreed with the leaders of France and Britain "that we volition talk again with the American president successful mentation for this conversation."

Merz told reporters that "my steadfast content is that some the Europeans and the Americans are determined to enactment together, but present besides successful a goal-oriented manner, to guarantee that this unspeakable warfare ends soon."

Putin spurned Zelenskyy's offer to conscionable face-to-face successful Turkey aft helium projected nonstop negotiations — though not astatine the statesmanlike level — arsenic an alternate to a 30-day ceasefire urged by Ukraine and its Western allies, including the U.S.

The talks successful Istanbul broke up aft little than 2 hours, though some sides agreed connected exchanging 1,000 prisoners of warfare each, according to the heads of some delegations. Ukraine's quality chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said connected Ukrainian tv Saturday that the speech could hap arsenic aboriginal arsenic adjacent week.

Vance besides met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen connected Sunday. Later successful the day, the vice president met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arsenic well, and the 2 leaders were joined by U.K. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

Vance told reporters up of the gathering with Meloni and Von der Leyen that Europe is an "important state of the United States," portion noting that "we person immoderate disagreements, arsenic friends sometimes do, connected issues similar trade." He added that helium was hopeful the conversations would beryllium "the opening of immoderate semipermanent commercialized negotiations and immoderate semipermanent commercialized advantages betwixt some Europe and the United States."

Drone barrage successful Ukraine

Zelenskyy's meetings came arsenic Russia launched what Ukraine called its largest drone barrage against Ukraine since the commencement of its full-scale penetration successful 2022, aft the archetypal nonstop talks betwixt Moscow and Kyiv successful years failed to output a ceasefire Friday.

Russia fired a full of 273 exploding drones and decoys targeting Ukraine's Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions, Ukraine's aerial unit said. Of those, 88 were intercepted and 128 lost, apt being electronically jammed.

Yuriy Ihnat, caput of the aerial force's communications department, told The Associated Press the barrage was the biggest drone onslaught since the commencement of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Previously, Russia's largest known azygous drone onslaught was connected the eve of the war's 3rd anniversary, erstwhile Russia pounded Ukraine with 267 drones.

Russia's Defense Ministry said its aerial defenses changeable down 7 Ukrainian drones overnight and different 18 Sunday morning.