Zelensky meets von der Leyen following funeral of Pope Francis

President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met on the sidelines of Pope Francis's funeral on April 26.

Zelensky met with U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni prior to his meeting with von der Leyen. They were among the many leaders who attended the funeral of Pope Francis.

"Europe will always stand by Ukraine in the pursuit of peace," von der Leyen said, addressing Zelensky in a post to social media following their meeting.

Von der Leyen reaffirmed Europe's support for Ukraine to end Russia's war against Ukraine.

"You can count on our support at the negotiating table to achieve a just and lasting peace," she said.

The two leaders discussed Ukraine's EU accession progress, von der Leyen said.

Zelensky and von der Leyen discussed continued cooperation between Ukraine and the bloc in the ReArm Europe initiative, which aims to protect the region from Russia's aggression.

"We talked about steps that will help protect the lives of Ukrainians, restore security, and bring an unconditional ceasefire closer," Zelensky said.

The two leaders discussed the preparation of the EU's 17th sanctions package against Russia.

"It is important that it be aimed at key sectors of the Russian economy and become one of the elements of pressure on Russia to restore peace," Zelensky said.

Trump has increased pressure on Ukraine as the White House intensifies efforts to reach a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.

"Work on the overall peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is going smoothly. Success seems to be in the future!" Trump said on April 25.

As the U.S. weighs major concessions for Ukraine, such as de jure recognizing Russian control of Crimea, many European leaders have stood by Ukraine.

"We urge an end to the policy of appeasement and call instead for a united, resolute stance against Russia’s terrorist regime," a statement signed on April 25 by chairs of the foreign affairs committees of the U.K., France, the Czechia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Ukraine said.