Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Sunday in Rome, their first meeting since a tense exchange at the White House in February. The encounter took place at the U.S. ambassador’s residence shortly after both leaders attended Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural mass at the Vatican.
The meeting came as Russia launched a record drone assault on Ukraine overnight, targeting Kyiv and other regions. At least two civilians were killed, and the Ukrainian Air Force reported downing 88 out of 273 drones launched.
Zelensky, writing on Telegram, said discussions with Vance covered a wide range of issues including sanctions on Russia, battlefield developments, bilateral defense cooperation, and prisoner exchanges. He also criticized Russia’s recent delegation to peace talks in Istanbul, calling it a low-level team with “no decision-making powers.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, also attended the meeting. The White House later issued a statement saying the leaders discussed “their shared goal of ending the bloodshed in Ukraine” and provided updates on ceasefire negotiations.
A senior Ukrainian official, speaking anonymously to AFP, said the meeting went “better” than the Oval Office clash in February, when Vance accused Zelensky of being “disrespectful” to President Trump. At that time, Trump told Zelensky he should be more thankful and warned he had no leverage in talks with Moscow.
Vance also met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, meetings the White House described as “constructive.”
Preparations are underway for a high-stakes phone call on Monday between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, aimed at stopping the “bloodbath” in Ukraine, according to Trump’s post on Truth Social. Leaders of Germany, France, and the UK have also requested to speak with Trump before the call, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed.
Meanwhile, Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska were granted an audience with Pope Leo, who expressed the Vatican’s readiness to serve as a platform for direct peace talks. “Ukraine is waiting for negotiations toward a just and lasting peace,” the Pope said during his inauguration.
On the battlefield, Russia claimed to have captured the village of Bahatyr in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, signaling a continued escalation despite recent talks.
In a televised interview, President Putin reiterated that Russia seeks to “eliminate the causes” of the conflict and ensure its security, echoing long-standing justifications that Kyiv and its allies dismiss as baseless pretexts for invasion.
Friday’s talks in Turkey— the first direct contact between Ukraine and Russia in over three years — led to a deal to exchange 1,000 prisoners from each side, though no progress was made on a ceasefire.