US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was a “step in the right direction”, a minister has said.
Images of the encounter on the fringes of the Pope’s funeral showed the two leaders locked in intense discussion in their first meeting since a fraught clash in the White House in late February.
The US president turned his criticism towards Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, but after returning from the Vatican said he thought his Ukrainian counterpart was ready to cede control of occupied Crimea to Russia as part of a peace deal.
The Trump administration’s proposed peace agreement has raised eyebrows among allies, as it appears to benefit Moscow far more than Kyiv.
The deal on the table would reportedly result in large swathes of territorial concessions by Ukraine, something which Mr Zelensky has insisted he will not accept.
Health minister Stephen Kinnock said it was “very welcome to see that really constructive and clear dialogue happening between President Zelensky and Trump”.
“I think it was a marked contrast with the very troubling scenes that we saw in the Oval Office when President Zelensky last visited Washington.
“So, I think that’s clearly a step in the right direction,” Mr Kinnock told GB News.
He stressed the importance of making sure there is “nothing being decided about Ukraine without Ukraine at the table”.
“We all want peace, but of course it can’t be peace at any cost for the Ukrainian people,” Mr Kinnock added.
