Sir Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to “maintain momentum and continue working intensively” towards securing peace in Ukraine during a meeting in Rome on Saturday. According to Downing Street, the leaders discussed recent advances made in efforts to reach a resolution to the conflict, following their attendance at the Pope’s funeral. Mr Zelensky had earlier met Donald Trump inside St Peter’s Basilica, alongside other world leaders, including Sir Keir and France’s Emmanuel Macron. President Trump has claimed a deal is “very close” and has urged Ukraine and Russia to hold high-level talks.
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Following their meeting, a Downing Street spokesperson stated that the Prime Minister and President Zelensky had “discussed positive progress made in recent days to secure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine”. Both parties agreed to continue collaborating with international partners to maintain momentum and move forward with planning. However, while Washington has pressed Kyiv to accept a deal that would concede Russian control over occupied territories, Mr Zelensky has remained firm in his refusal to recognise Moscow’s sovereignty over Crimea or other regions seized since 2014. He reiterated that an unconditional cessation of hostilities by Russia was essential for a genuine peace.
After the funeral ceremony, Mr Zelensky described his face-to-face meeting with Mr Trump as “a good meeting” and expressed hope for productive outcomes from their discussion. Writing on the social media platform X, he emphasised the need for a “full and unconditional ceasefire” and a “reliable and lasting peace” that would prevent future conflict. The funeral of Pope Francis provided a rare opportunity for global leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, to hold direct conversations about the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and other international concerns.
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Although an additional meeting between Mr Zelensky and President Trump had been anticipated, Mr Trump departed Rome shortly after the funeral concluded, having first met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. In a subsequent post on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump criticised Mr Zelensky’s insistence on reclaiming Crimea, calling it one of several “ridiculous requests”, but also condemned Vladimir Putin’s continued missile strikes on civilian areas. Trump suggested that alternative strategies, such as enhanced sanctions, might be necessary to bring about an end to the conflict, stressing that “too many people are dying”.
