Trump and Zelenskyy have 'very productive' talk as they attend Pope Francis' funeral

President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met face-to-face for the first time since their infamous Oval Office spat in February. They were attending Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome, though it is unclear exactly when they met.

Neither Ukrainian nor White House officials gave many details on the meeting; however, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said the leaders had "a very productive discussion."

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Zelenskyy later tweeted that the meeting was "very symbolic" and could potentially be "historic."

In February, Zelenskyy abruptly left the White House after getting into an argument with Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Zelenskyy later told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier on "Special Report" that the incident was "bad for both sides."

This meeting comes as peace talks between Russia and Ukraine appear to be at a standstill with Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin making competing demands.

"A good day in talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine. They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off.’ Most of the major points are agreed to. Stop the bloodshed, NOW. We will be wherever is necessary to help facilitate the END to this cruel and senseless war," Trump wrote on Truth Social after arriving in Rome on Saturday.

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Trump has criticized both leaders in separate posts on Truth Social. On Thursday, Trump demanded Putin "stop" strikes on Kyiv and said he was "not happy" with the Kremlin for continuing attacks on Ukraine. The day before, on Wednesday, Trump blasted Zelenskyy after he said that Ukraine would not recognize Russian control over Crimea, which Putin invaded in 2014.

Putin so far has rejected several U.S. proposals for a peace deal, but the White House remains optimistic about Trump’s ability to end the war.

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"This war is endable. Both sides just have to agree to it," Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. He also said there were "good meetings over the weekend," which were presumably focused on ending the conflict.

Trump has said that he is sticking to his own "deadline" for achieving peace and added that he believes there is "a very good chance of getting [a deal] done."

Iran, US begin negotiations over Tehran's advancing nuclear program

Iran and the U.S. began negotiations in Oman on Saturday over Tehran's advancing nuclear program, and the talks will likely depend on the Islamic Republic's enrichment of uranium.

According to Iranian state media, the talks began on Saturday in Oman's capital of Muscat. But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff offered no immediate details on the talks.

Araghchi arrived on Friday in Oman and met with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who had mediated the two earlier rounds of talks in Muscat and Rome. Araghchi was seen heading to the talks late Saturday morning.

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Witkoff arrived on Saturday for the talks that were expected to begin in the coming hours.

The negotiations seek to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the U.S. lifting some economic sanctions it has imposed on the Islamic Republic.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to launch airstrikes targeting Iran’s program if a deal is not reached. Iranian officials warn that they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.

Iran's nuclear deal in 2015 with foreign nations limited Tehran's program before Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018, leading to years of conflict and tensions.

Trump reiterated that he hoped negotiations would lead to a new nuclear deal, although he still suggested the possibility of a military strike if a deal was not reached.

"The Iran situation is coming out very well," Trump said on Air Force One as he traveled to Rome for Pope Francis' funeral. "We've had a lot of talks with them and I think we're going to have a deal. I'd much rather have a deal than the other alternative. That would be good for humanity."

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"There are some people that want to make a different kind of a deal — a much nastier deal — and I don’t want that to happen to Iran if we can avoid it," he added.

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