OAN Staff Abril Elfi
1:12 PM – Sunday, May 18, 2025
Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a “good meeting” in their first public encounter since their infamous Oval Office blow-up.
Following Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration mass in the Vatican City, the vice president and Zelensky met privately in the Villa Taverna, the residence of the US ambassador to Italy, according to a spokesperson for the vice president. They were joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Andriy Yermak, who leads the Office of the President of Ukraine.
The two discussed continued efforts to stop the brutal war in Ukraine, as well as Zelensky’s desire for the United States to increase sanctions against Russia.
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Zelensky shared photos of Kyiv and Washington officials seated outside at a rectangular table, smiling. Ukrainian media said that the meeting lasted 40 minutes.
“We discussed negotiations in Istanbul to where the Russians sent a low level delegation of non-decision-makers,” Zelensky later revealed on X. “I reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible.”
He added: “We have also touched upon the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defense cooperation, battlefield situation and upcoming prisoner exchange.”
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