French President Emmanuel Macron had just embraced President Volodymyr Zelensky when Donald Trump pulled him to the side and gave him a stern five-word warning in St Peter’s Basilica during the Pope’s funeral
An eagle-eyed lip reader has uncovered the five-word warning Donald Trump issued France’s president at the funeral of Pope Francis yesterday. It came just moments before Trump used the historic moment to sit down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, weeks after the latter abruptly left the White House following a breakdown in communication between the pair.
Photographers managed to catch the intense meeting in St Peter’s Basilica as they both pulled up chairs to sit face-to-face and hash out their differences. French President Emmanuel Macron and Sir Keir Starmer were close at hand as their meeting began. After Macron embraced Zelensky, Trump pulled the French leader to the side. Professional lip reader Nicola Hickling said the US president then reached out to the both of them and pulls them closer.
She explained: “He says to Macron ‘you are not in the right here, I need you to do me a favour, you should not be here.’ Zelensky nods in agreement and the vicar who is in front of the camera turns his head to the side looking worried at what he has heard between them,” she told The Sun.
Hickling’s additional analysis of video footage of the meeting detailed how Zelensky said: “I would like you to do that, but not this way.” Trump replied: “It’s a very interesting strategy. You have reassurance.”
Speaking to reporters after the funeral, Zelensky said that the pair discussed several issues which would protect the “lives of our people”. He is seeking “full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out”, he said.
“Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results.”
Yesterday afternoon, Donald Trump broke his silence after the meeting, turning on Vladimir Putin. In typical Trump style, he took to his Truth Social platform, where he said: “With all of that being said, there was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days.”
The US President then suggested Mad Vlad had been playing him, with Trump even floating more sanctions against the dictator. He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?” Too many people are dying!!!” This came a day after Trump declared Moscow and Kyiv “are very close to a deal”.