US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held crunch war talks in the heart of the Vatican minutes before the start of the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, as the White House mounts an increasingly urgent push to strike a peace deal in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin does not plan to attend Pope Francis's funeral, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced. Among those who have confirmed their participation in the ceremony are Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky.

US President Donald Trump cast doubt on whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants a peace deal, shortly after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the hush of St Peter’s Basilica before Pope Francis’s funeral Saturday.