Russia and Ukraine are “very close” to a peace deal and should meet at a “very high level”, Donald Trump has said, as his administration continues to push for Kyiv to give away territory.
The US President will join Sir Keir Starmer and other world leaders at the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome on Saturday.
Volodymyr Zelensky is also listed among the attendees at St Peter’s Basilica, but it remains uncertain whether the Ukrainian leader will attend and have the opportunity to meet his US counterpart.
Russia will be represented at the Vatican by its culture minister, Olga Lyubimova.
The Trump administration is urging Mr Zelensky to sign up to a peace deal with Vladimir Putin which would see vast swathes of Ukrainian territory remain in Russian hands.
Ukrainians consider the proposal very one-sided in Russia’s favour, but it is “set in stone” as far as the US is concerned, according to the Times newspaper.
As he touched down in Rome, Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that it had been “a good day in talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine”.
Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy who has been deeply involved in the negotiations, met Mr Putin in Moscow on Friday for peace talks.
“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,” Mr Trump wrote on his social media site.
He added: “We will be wherever is necessary to help facilitate the END to this cruel and senseless war.”
There are no formal plans for meetings as world leaders gather in Vatican City, but their close proximity could give them opportunity to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Speaking on Air Force One, Mr Trump suggested it would be “disrespectful” for them to meet for political discussions, though he later added: “But I’ll be talking to people.”
Elsewhere, Downing Street slapped down suggestions that the coalition of the willing proposed to enforce a future peace deal is in jeopardy.
Media reports suggested the UK could abandon the plan as the risks of it were too high.
But a No 10 spokesman insisted all options for supporting Ukraine in the event of a peace deal “remain on the table”.
The US has privately indicated it is willing to give a security guarantee to the peacekeeping force, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Mr Trump has avoided publicly saying he would provide back up for the coalition, which would aim to halt future Russian aggression.
In the war, Russia has continued to bombard Ukraine with drones and missiles.
A senior Russian general was, meanwhile, killed by a car bomb near Moscow on Friday, with the Kremlin blaming the attack on Kyiv.
