In Rome, the anticipated second meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump did not take place
The Western world continues to follow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s diplomatic negotiations at the summit in Rome. However, not all planned meetings occurred; in particular, the expected second round of talks between Zelenskyy and former U.S. President Donald Trump did not happen. This was reported by Sky News, citing an official source — Ukrainian leader’s spokesman, Serhii Nikiforov. According to information obtained from internal sources, the reason for the absence of the scheduled meeting was the busy schedule of both presidents. Specifically, after attending a funeral ceremony at which Trump was present, he suddenly left the event to quickly return to the airport. As a result, there was simply no time for discussions with Zelenskyy. Nonetheless, sources close to the leaders reported that Zelenskyy’s American counterpart briefly spoke with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Earlier, the Ukrainian diplomatic office announced that both sides had agreed to hold a new meeting in Rome, and all organizational issues were reportedly halfway resolved. Ukrainian representatives stated that discussions regarding trilateral or bilateral formats with Americans remained part of the plans and that a meeting was scheduled to take place soon in the city on the Tiber. However, a few hours later, the situation changed in official statements. Zelenskyy’s spokesman announced that the planned meeting had been canceled due to the "tight schedules" of both leaders. According to him, both presidents were busy with a series of important events, making it impossible to find a "window" for a personal conversation. This came as a surprise to analysts and diplomats, as Zelenskyy earlier emphasized the potential significance of this meeting within the historical context of Frankivsk. What preceded this? Looking into the background, Zelenskyy acknowledged that a meeting with Trump holds significant potential and could influence the situation in Ukraine as well as international support. The White House emphasized that the negotiations were very useful and productive, highlighting the importance of U.S. support for Ukraine ahead of challenging times. In addition, Zelenskyy actively engages in diplomatic dialogue with other world leaders. In Rome, he held a meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the British Embassy. Although this meeting was brief, it carried important diplomatic implications. He also found an opportunity to speak with French President Emmanuel Macron, with whom he discussed further ways to support Ukraine. Thus, although the second planned round of negotiations between Zelenskyy and Trump did not occur, the very possibility of their meeting remains relevant. In Ukraine and around the world, this process is being watched as a significant element of international diplomacy that could influence future steps in supporting the Ukrainian state on the global stage.