Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that a 15-minute one-on-one meeting with US President Donald Trump at the Vatican helped improve their relationship and "did more" than the controversial Oval Office meeting attended by many people.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with ABC News; a full video has been posted by the press service for the Ukrainian President’s Office

Details: Commenting on his Oval Office meeting with Trump, which ended in a public spat, Zelenskyy said the encounter had been "difficult" for him.

On the other hand, he described the brief exchange with Trump at the Vatican as "good and productive".

Quote: "I would like to believe that we have a normal professional relationship. I don’t have enough contact with President Trump to say what kind of personal relationship we have."

More details: Zelenskyy added that he would like more opportunities to engage with the US president.

Quote: "Time and opportunities are needed. Those 15 minutes at the Vatican one-on-one did more than a meeting in a big circle of people in the Oval Office."

Background:

• Zelenskyy and Trump met at the Vatican on 26 April during the funeral of Pope Francis, attended by dozens of world leaders.
• The Ukrainian President’s Office hopes to arrange another meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit on 15-17 June.

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