Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy met briefly in the hush of St Peter's basilica on the sidelines of Pope Francis's funeral in their first encounter since a noisy White House clash, as the US president pushes the Ukrainian leader to make a peace deal with Russia.
Zelenskyy said on Saturday that they discussed a possible unconditional ceasefire with Russia and was "hoping for results" from a "very symbolic meeting that has the potential to become historic".
The war cast a shadow over preparations for Francis's funeral, and even as it took place, Russia claimed its forces had "fully liberated" the border Kursk region.
Ukraine insisted however that its army was still fighting in Kursk, Russian territory which it hopes to use as a bargaining chip in any future peace talks.
The Ukrainian presidency released photos of the Trump and Zelenskyy sitting face to face, leaning forward in deep discussion in a corner of the basilica, as the pope's simple wooden coffin lay in front of the altar before the funeral began.
"We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out," Zelenskyy wrote on X.
An aide to Zelenskyy described the meeting as "constructive" and the White House called it "a very productive discussion".
However, the US president flew out of Rome as scheduled, immediately after the funeral mass and there were no further talks.
But the two leaders also briefly huddled inside the basilica with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, the French president's hand on Zelenskyy's shoulder.
Macron's office described the exchanges between the four leaders as "positive" and he later met Zelenskyy one-on-one.
Outside in St Peter's Square, Trump rubbed shoulders with dozens of world leaders keen to bend his ear on the tariffs he has unleashed and other subjects.
But it was the meeting with Zelenskyy that drew the most interest as the US leader pushes for a peace deal.
Both sides had kept the prospects of a meeting vague ahead of the funeral with Trump saying only it was "possible".
Tensions have been high since Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on February 28, calling him ungrateful for the billions of dollars of US military assistance given since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022.
Blame game
Trump, while calling on President Vladimir Putin to stop Russia's attacks on Ukraine, has recently blamed Zelenskyy for the war and the continuing bloodshed.
Trump has pushed Zelenskyy to accept previously unpalatable concessions such as acknowledging that Crimea, which Moscow seized in 2014, will remain in Russian hands under any deal to stop the conflict.
Arriving in Rome late Friday, Trump said there had been progress in talks and pushed for the Russian and Ukrainian leaders to meet.
"They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to 'finish it off'," he posted on his Truth Social platform.
"Most of the major points are agreed to," he said.
Putin on Friday discussed the "possibility" of direct talks with Ukraine in a meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff.
But Zelenskyy again rejected suggestions that Ukraine give up Crimea.
Witkoff's meeting with Putin came just after a top Russian general was killed in a car bomb attack outside Moscow.
An increasingly frustrated Trump last week threatened to walk away from peace efforts if he does not see progress towards a ceasefire.
