Among the many captivating visuals at the Vatican funeral of Pope Frances, was the one-on-one meeting of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump sitting knee-to-knee in an ornate marble floor side chamber of St.

Inside the soaring nave of St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, the quiet hush of world leaders paying respects to the late Pope Francis was briefly interrupted by a flurry of activity in a secluded corner near the entrance doors.

Zelensky used the funeral of Pope Francis to launch a diplomatic blitz to head off a U.S. proposal to end Russia’s war on Ukraine on terms favorable to Moscow.