JD Vance meets Zelensky in Rome after both attend Pope Leo XIV's first mass

Vice President JD Vance met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday in Rome following Pope Leo XIV's inaugural mass, where the two parties continued US efforts to bring the war in Ukraine to a close. The meeting marks their first extended conversation since the explosive meeting at the White House in February.

The two briefly shook hands earlier in the day at the Vatican during mass, before holding a more formal discussion at the US ambassador’s residence, the Independent reported.

“Vice President Vance is now meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine,” a Vance spokesperson said in a statement issued around 2:40 pm local time.

A Ukrainian official told AFP that the talks addressed several issues, including “the situation on the front,” a planned phone call between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and “the possibility of sanctions against Russia if there are no results.” The official said this meeting went “better” than the explosive February exchange in Washington.

In February, President Donald Trump and Ukrainian Zelensky met, where Trump said that the Ukrainian leader can "come back when he is ready for peace," tossing him from the White House.

White House officials told Fox News that "Ukrainians were begging to reset," but Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz informed them that Zelensky needed to leave White House grounds. The officials said that Trump and US officials felt disrespected by the Ukrainian leader, who was "shrugging and rolling his eyes" during the meeting.