Zelenskyy meets Vance for the first time after White House scandal
Photo: JD Vance and Volodymyr Zelenskyy (collage RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US vice president JD Vance met for the first time since their Oval Office dispute. Both attended the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, Bloomberg reports.
Zelenskyy and Vance met before the inauguration mass at the Vatican on May 18. Videos circulating online show them shaking hands and smiling.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska were seated next to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, with Vice President Vance nearby.
Oval Office dispute
As a reminder, on February 28, Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the White House, where he met with US President Donald Trump. During their conversation in the Oval Office, in the presence of journalists, a verbal exchange broke out between Zelenskyy, Trump, and US Vice President JD Vance.
The dispute centered around the war and alleged Ukrainian ingratitude for US aid. Western media also reported that former President Trump was displeased that Zelenskyy did not wear a suit to the meeting.
As a result, Zelenskyy left the White House, and the planned agreement on Ukrainian natural resources was not signed.
As a reminder, Zelenskyy and Trump have already met since the Oval Office incident. That meeting also took place at the Vatican, on April 26, during the funeral of Pope Francis. It was a one-on-one meeting that lasted around 15 minutes, and both leaders later spoke positively about it.
Papal inauguration
On Sunday, May 18, Pope Leo XIV was officially enthroned. The ceremony took place at the Vatican and was attended by over 250,000 people, including representatives from more than 100 countries and international organizations.
During the mass, Pope Leo XIV mentioned Ukraine and stated that peace talks are expected.
Today, Zelenskyy is scheduled to hold a closed-door meeting with the new pope, according to the president’s spokesperson, Serhii Nykyforov.
