ROME, Italy >> Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with top U.S. officials and European leaders on Sunday in Rome, ahead of a high-stakes phone call Monday between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the war in Ukraine.

The discussions came as Russia launched what Ukraine called its largest drone barrage against Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022, after the first direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in years failed to yield a ceasefire Friday.

Zelenskyy spoke with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the U.S. ambassador’s residence, after attending the inaugural Mass for Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square.

Zelenskyy said on social media he had underscored the need for “real diplomacy” and reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to a “full and unconditional ceasefire.”

He said they discussed sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defense cooperation and plans for the upcoming prisoner exchange with Russia that was agreed in talks between the two sides in Istanbul.