Volodimir Zelensky He affirmed this Saturday that at his last meeting with the US president, Donald Trumpon the occasion of Pope Francis’s funeral in the Vatican, on April 26, the two approached the possibility of imposing additional sanctions against Russia.
“I think I had the best conversation with President Trump Of all those we have had so far, ”said the Ukrainian President in a meeting with the press in kyiv, in statements cited by the agency Ukrinform.
“I raised the question of US sanctions. I will not go into details, but what he told me (Trump) sounded very powerful “he said.
Zelensky also answered questions regarding the controversial economic agreement between the United States and Ukraine signed this week, which must still be ratified by the supreme (Parliament) in the coming days.
The Ukrainian President expressed the expectation that there are no difficulties to approve the document, although he admitted that there are Ukrainian deputies who oppose, to those who claimed to reject an agreement “on which the security of Ukraine depends.”
Zelenski said that based on the decisions taken by the US Congress, Ukraine should receive this year a value of 15,000 million dollars and another similar sum in 2026.
The agreement signed with Washington could allow the reception of the 15,000 years scheduled for 2026 to be advanced to this year, he said, as part of the US contribution to the investment fund for reconstruction that will be established as part of the treatment.
As reported The Wall Street Journalthe symbolic encounter between Trump and Zelensky in the Basilica of San Pedro, which extended for about fifteen minutes, marked a potential turn in the complex relationship between both leaderswhich has been affected by political and personal disagreements amid the war between Ukraine and Russia.
The initiative for this dialogue arose from a combination of prior planning and spontaneity. Emmanuel Macronpresident of France and one of Zelensky’s main European allies, had a key role in facilitating the meeting. While international leaders expected the beginning of the funeral, Macron took the opportunity to talk to Trump about the need to adopt a firmer position against Russia. According to Macron himself, who later told the event to Paris Match, Zelensky joined the conversation, immediately agreeing a direct dialogue with Trump. The disposition of the place was modified to do without an interpreter, at the request of Zelensky, who preferred to address the issue without intermediaries.
The meeting, although brief, was defined by both leaders as fruitful. Zelensky told journalists that, “perhaps it was our shortest conversation, but also the most substantive.” Trump, meanwhile, described the framework of the encounter as an idyllic: “It was a beautiful scenario. The best office I’ve seen.” Although they have collided in the past, this meeting served at least to temporarily improve the tone between both parties, although it did not bring decisive changes in American politics towards Ukraine.
The Wall Street Journal He recalled that, after the meeting, Trump outlined strong criticism of Vladimir Putin, publicly questioning the intentions of the Russian leader towards La Paz. “Putin had no reason to shoot missiles against civil areas, cities and towns in recent days. It makes me think that Maybe he doesn’t want to stop war (…) and should be treated differently, through ‘bank’ or ‘secondary sanctions’? Too many people are dying !!!
For its part, this Friday, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) confirmed that the United States Department of State approved a contract worth $ 310.5 million to facilitate Ukraine the possible acquisition of training and maintenance materials for its F-16 Combat aircraft fleet. The operation includes loose pieces, personnel training, spare parts, accessories, technical publications, classified and non -classified software, and logistics services, both from the US government and private contractors.
Despite the limited immediate impact of this encounter, its symbolism underlines the complexities of diplomacy in times of conflict, where scenarios and gestures play as important role as the words that are pronounced in the negotiating table.
(With information from EFE and The Wall Street Journal)
