Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump Saturday morning in Rome in the two leaders’ first encounter since their disastrous meeting at the White House in February. Zelenskyy said it was a “good meeting” and that they “discussed a lot one-on-one.” The White House called it “a very productive discussion.” Trump and Zelenskyy are in Rome to attend the funeral of Pope Francis. Their meeting took place before the funeral started. “President Trump and President Zelenskyy met privately today and had a very productive discussion,” said Steven Cheung, White House communications director. “More details about the meeting will follow,” he said.

President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met briefly Saturday before the funeral for Pope Francis as the American leader steps up the pressure to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. Zelenskyy’s office had said teams were making arrangements for the leaders to talk again Saturday, but Trump went directly to the Rome airport after the funeral and boarded Air Force One for the 10-hour flight back to the United States, which seemed to rule out a second in-person conversation. The White House said their discussion was “very productive” and that more details would be released later. The meeting lasted about 15 minutes inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican just before they took their seats for the outdoor funeral service. Zelenskyy said “good meeting” on social media after the funeral.

After arriving in Rome, the president said on Truth Social that it was a “good day in talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine.” The meetings followed a week of public attacks on Zelensky from Trump, who blamed him for holding up peace talks in its three-year war with Russia. Zelensky was unsure about attending the funeral until the last minute, saying on Friday that he might have to deal with matters related to Russia’s missile strike Thursday that killed 12 people and injured 87. But Zelensky arrived in Rome with Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska on Saturday morning, according to the Kyiv Independent, citing the president’s spokesperson.