After a historic meeting at Pope Francis’s funeral, Donald Trump hints at tougher measures on Russia as doubts grow over Putin’s intentions to end the Ukraine war.
April 27, 2025: Rome/New Delhi:
At the solemn gathering for Pope Francis’s funeral at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, a significant side event took place — a brief but impactful meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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Following the meeting, Trump sharply criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggesting that he may not genuinely seek an end to the Ukraine war.
“Maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently — through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions,'” Trump posted on Truth Social after the encounter.
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Highlights From The Meeting:
- Trump and Zelensky spoke for 15 minutes inside the Basilica, marking their first face-to-face meeting since a tense White House encounter in February.
- The White House described the conversation as “very productive”, while Zelensky called it “historic.”
- Trump reiterated that Ukraine had “no cards to play”, reflecting his long-standing view on Ukraine’s limited bargaining power in the ongoing war.
Context Behind Trump’s Tougher Stance:
The meeting came just hours after a Russian missile strike on Kyiv killed 12 civilians and injured 87 others.
Further escalating tensions, Putin claimed Russian forces had retaken Kursk, a city captured by Ukraine last August.
Criticizing the attacks, Trump said:
“No reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas.”
Previously, Trump had indicated optimism about a possible peace deal, citing Putin’s openness to “direct talks without preconditions”.
However, in his latest remarks, he questioned Putin’s sincerity, hinting that stronger punitive measures might now be necessary.
Trump’s Peace Push and Concessions Plan:
Trump’s team has been working on a controversial peace blueprint that could involve:
- Recognizing Crimea as part of Russia,
- Acknowledging Russian control over four Ukrainian regions,
- Guaranteeing that Ukraine will not join NATO,
- Easing economic sanctions on Moscow.
“Stopping the war, stopping them from taking the whole country, that’s a pretty big concession,” Trump said Thursday, defending his approach.
Despite Ukraine initially supporting a month-long ceasefire plan, Russia rejected it, opting instead for limited ceasefires targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
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