Ammon News - Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump have met inside St Peter's Basilica ahead of Pope Francis' funeral.

The White House described the 15-minute meeting as "very productive" and Zelensky said later they had managed to discuss a lot.

Trump and Zelensky were pictured sitting locked in deep discussion, minutes before Pope Francis' funeral was due to start.

The meeting came a day after Trump said Russia and Ukraine were "very close to a deal", following talks between his envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday.

Posting an image of Zelensky sitting with Trump, the Ukrainian leader's head of office Andriy Yermak added a single word, "constructive".

The two leaders had not met since their tempestuous Oval Office meeting in the White House at the end of February. BBC