A meeting? It is possible. Indeed no. Perhaps. The summit between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky is tinged yellow in Rome. The American president is in the capital for Pope Francis’ funeral scheduled today and has confirmed that he will meet various leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Great expectations for the possible meeting also with the Ukrainian president, thanks to the tensions of the last few days on the peace dossier. But from concrete possibilities it slipped into the mystery.
“A meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in Rome? Is it possible”: these are Trump’s words to reporters of the White House before embarking on the Air Force One for Italy. An important openingconsidering the aforementioned frictions with the leader of Kiev. And here begins the rebus: Yes, because Zelensky said that it is important that the country is present at the Pope’s funeral and that, if he cannot be present in person, Ukraine will be represented by the Foreign Minister and First Lady. “I have several military meetings scheduled,” he explained during a briefing: “It is important for us that Ukraine is present at the ceremony. And not only for the good relations with the Vatican and its role in the return of Ukrainian children and in assistance to the exchange of prisoners, but also for the good personal relationships with Pope Francis. For me personally, this is also an opportunity to express my condolences and my gratitude I am at the Vatican, to Italy “. In the end, however, he decided to be there.
In the evening, talking to the journalists aboard the Air Force One, other Trump statements arrived, who preferred not to answer the question if a face to face is also scheduled with Zelensky. The only confirmation is linked to the meeting with Meloni, for the rest the list of leaders who will see in the next few hours remains top secret: “I will meet people in Rome and a little quickly, and frankly it is a little unresolved to have meetings when you are at the funeral of a Pope. But I will talk to people, I will see many people”. But the tycoon on Truth has returned to talk about Ukraine, with a very clear message: “Ukraine, led by Volodymyr Zelensky, has not yet signed the definitive documents on the very important agreement on rare lands with the United States. It is at least three weeks late. It is hoped that it will be signed immediately. The works on the global peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine proceed without a hitches. The success seems to be imminent!”.
It is not yet clear if it will be in Rome or if it will be elsewhere, but the comparison between Trump and Zelensky will be on. In an interview with Time the leader of the White House has returned to talk about the Negotiations with Russia And he reiterated that Crimea will remain with Moscow. In Crimea “There have always been the Russians” and “The population speaks largely Russian”, and in any case it has already been “delivered” to Moscow by the then president Barack Obama, said the tenant of the White House, referring to the annexation of the Peninsula on the Black Sea by Moscow in 2014. But on Crimea Zelensky does not seem to be intended to take steps back, on the contrary: he confirmed “Crimea” belongs ” to Ukraine and Kiev’s position on this “remains unchanged”. On the Zelensky point it can count on the support of the European Union, but it is certainly not the only diversity of views between Brussels and Washington, just think of the security guarantees to be given to Ukraine, with the USA who however exclude its adhesion to NATO.
Recall that the dialogue between the USA and Russia does not only concern the Ukrainian dossier, a detail that feeds Zelensky’s concerns. As confirmed by the Russian presidential councilor for foreign policy Yuri Ushakov, the interview between Witkoff and Putin has “allowed to further approach the positions of Russia and the USA also on a series of other international issues”. Readers on the Iranian nuclear power and on today’s summit in Oman, which follows that of Rome by seven days. Moscow, for its part, said she wanted to contribute to a negotiated arm solution.
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