Pope's funeral and Trump-Zelenskyy meeting in Vatican - Weekend brief
RBC-Ukraine collage
This weekend, two important events took place that drew global attention, including the Pope's funeral and a meeting between American leader Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Read more about what happened over the weekend.
Funeral of Pope Francis
Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, April 21.
On Saturday, April 26, he was buried in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome. About 400 thousand people attended the funeral of the pontiff.
On Sunday, the tomb of Pope Francis was opened to the faithful.
Read more about how the world bid farewell to Pope Francis.
Zelenskyy meets with Trump
On April 26, Zelenskyy attended the Pope's funeral procession. During his visit, the president held a series of important talks with international leaders.
He met with French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump, calling his talk with Trump “very symbolic.”
It was the first meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy after the spat in the White House.
RBC-Ukraine has collected everything known about the meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump.
Vatican breaches protocol with Zelenskyy's front-row seat at Pope's funeral
During the funeral of Pope Francis, the Vatican deviated from its traditional protocol and gave Zelenskyy a front-row seat.
Normally, seating for world leaders is arranged alphabetically in French, which is the diplomatic tradition. This would have required Ukraine's president to sit in the third row or even farther back.
However, this time the Vatican made an exception, placing Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena Zelenska, just 11 seats away from US President Donald Trump.
Trump accused of breaking dress code at Pope Francis' funeral
US President Donald Trump was accused of violating the dress code at the funeral of Pope Francis. He wore a blue suit to the service at the Vatican instead of a black one.
Explosion demolishes office building at southern Iran port
A powerful explosion occurred at a port in southern Iran. An office building was destroyed and vehicles were damaged.
A fuel tank exploded at the Shahid Rajaee port in Iran, according to media reports.
Preliminary information indicates that the epicenter of the explosion was an administrative building near the pier.
The blast wave was so powerful that it destroyed the office building and damaged dozens of vehicles. Port operations have been temporarily suspended to deal with the aftermath.
Russians falsely reported on pushing Ukrainian forces out of Kursk region
On Saturday, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov reported to Kremlin President Vladimir Putin on the completion of the operation to liberate the Kursk region.
The statement came while the Ukrainian Armed Forces maintained control over dozens of square kilometers in the region.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine noted that the defensive operation of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region continues, and the Kremlin is making wishful thinking.
On Sunday evening, Putin was told that groups of Ukrainian troops were still in the Kursk region.
China seizes disputed reef near Philippines' key military outpost
The Chinese military has landed on the uninhabited disputed Sandy Cay reef in the South China Sea. It is located just a few kilometers from the Philippines' most important military outpost on Thitu Island.
Coast guard officers raised the Chinese flag, declaring sovereignty over the reef in the Spratly Islands region. Chinese television also published a corresponding photo.
