Donald Trump sends scathing message to Vladimir Putin following meeting with Zelenskyy
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a short but serious meeting just before the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican. They were given chairs so they could sit down and have a private talk.
It was a significant moment because this was the first time they had seen each other face-to-face since their heated argument at the White House, where Trump, along with Senator JD Vance, had harshly criticized Zelenskyy. This meeting, however, felt different. It wasn’t about public arguing or grandstanding. It seemed more focused, calmer, and genuine, like two leaders trying to figure out a difficult situation.
After the meeting, both sides gave hopeful messages. The White House called the conversation “very productive,” suggesting that it wasn’t just polite talk it actually made some progress. Zelenskyy also spoke positively, saying it was a “good meeting” where they discussed very important topics.
He explained that they talked about ways to protect Ukrainian lives, work toward a full ceasefire without conditions, and build a peace that would last long enough to stop future wars from happening. Zelenskyy seemed hopeful, calling the meeting very symbolic and hinting that if real action followed their discussion, it could become a historic moment for both countries.
Meanwhile, after the meeting, Trump went on Truth Social, his own social media site, and posted a long rant. Instead of focusing entirely on his talk with Zelenskyy, he used the opportunity to criticize a journalist from The New York Times.
Trump felt the journalist wasn’t giving him enough credit for his so-called peace efforts between Russia and Ukraine. He also repeated his old complaints about the “Obama Crimea Giveaway,” blaming past US leadership for not doing enough when Russia took over Crimea in 2014. Trump seemed frustrated that he wasn’t being praised, and he vented his anger in typical Trump fashion loudly and publicly.
Finally, Trump shifted his focus to Vladimir Putin. He strongly condemned the recent missile strikes on Ukrainian cities and towns, where innocent civilians were being killed. Trump said there was absolutely no reason for Putin to be launching these attacks.
He questioned whether Putin was really serious about peace, suggesting that the Russian leader might just be pretending to negotiate while continuing the war in the background.
Trump even hinted that stronger actions, like heavier financial sanctions, might be necessary to really put pressure on Putin. He ended his message with a blunt statement: “Too many people are dying!!!” showing that even he could see how bad the situation had become.
Interestingly, only a few hours earlier, Trump had blamed Zelenskyy for preventing a peace deal one that would have allowed Russia to keep the parts of Ukraine it had already captured. Zelenskyy has made it very clear, however, that Ukraine will not agree to any deal that gives away its territory, including Crimea. For Ukraine, keeping its land is non-negotiable, no matter how much outside pressure there is.
While all this was happening, Russian missiles were still hitting civilian areas. Trump criticized the timing of these attacks, calling it “very bad timing” and telling Putin directly to “stop” his missile strikes.
Many world leaders were gathered at the Vatican to honor the pope, but Vladimir Putin wasn’t among them. His absence, along with the continued violence coming from Russia, cast a shadow over the event. Even during a moment that should have been about peace and respect, the realities of war and conflict were impossible to ignore.
This meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy may have only lasted a short while, but it could end up being an important moment, depending on what actions follow. For now, though, it’s clear that the path to real peace is still very long and very complicated.
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