Mr Zelensky said the meeting with Mr Trump at the Vatican was 'the best'
Although brief, the meeting with US President Donald Trump at the Vatican was considered by President Zelensky to be the "best" ever.
According to CNN, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 3 that his conversation with US President Donald Trump at the Vatican, on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral, was their "best" conversation ever about US sanctions and Ukraine's air defense system.
The meeting comes at a crucial time for Ukraine, amid concerns that the US could cut support for Ukraine and abandon peace talks.
Both sides described the talks as positive, marking their first face-to-face meeting since a White House Oval Office meeting in February. Shortly afterward, President Donald Trump questioned whether Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted peace, the latest sign that the US leader was losing patience with his Russian counterpart.
“I believe that we had the best conversation with President Trump compared to all the previous conversations,” President Zelensky told journalists, as quoted by the Office of the President of Ukraine on May 3.
“It may be the shortest, but it is the most important.”
President Zelensky said the two discussed US sanctions, without elaborating, and described President Trump's comments on the issue as "very strong." Mr. Zelensky added that he reiterated Ukraine's desire to strengthen its air defenses and told President Trump that he hoped to have the opportunity to buy US weapons.
“I told Mr. Trump about the amount, and he said that they will handle it, that these things are not free,” President Zelensky said.
Mr Zelensky added that he and Mr Trump had agreed that the 30-day ceasefire “is the right first step” and “we will move in this direction”.
On May 1, the United States and Ukraine signed a major mineral deal — one that both sides have been trying to reach since President Trump returned to the White House in January.
In comments on May 2, President Zelensky pointed to the Vatican meeting as a turning point in securing a deal, adding that he had managed to refute Russian claims that Ukraine did not want to reach an agreement with the United States.
"I believe that, after our meeting in the Vatican, President Trump began to see things a little differently," Mr. Zelensky said.
