Rome, May 18 -- US Vice President JD Vance met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Rome on Sunday (local time) on the sidelines of Pope Leo XIV's inaugural mass at Saint Peter's Square in Vatican City.

According to a statement from the Office of the Vice President, the focus of the meeting was on the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with discussions centred on their shared objective of halting the bloodshed in Ukraine.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also present at the meeting.

Both parties also discussed the current status of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, Turkiye, which aim to achieve a ceasefire and establish lasting peace in the region.

"This afternoon in Rome, Italy,...