Vatican City - Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky met briefly at Pope Francis' funeral on Saturday, their aides said, marking their first encounter since a disastrous White House clash as the US president pushes Ukraine to make a peace deal with Russia.

Trump was rubbing shoulders with dozens of world leaders at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome keen to bend his ear on the tariffs he has unleashed and other subjects.

But it was the meeting with Zelensky that drew the most interest as the US leader pushes the Ukrainian to make a peace deal with Russia.

The two leaders met briefly on the sidelines of the funeral before it started, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian presidency said.

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"The meeting took place and is already over," Zelensky's spokesperson Sergiy Nykyforov told journalists without providing further details.

White House communications director Steven Cheung also confirmed the meeting occurred, calling it "a very productive discussion" and saying more details would follow.

Trump and Zelensky, both accompanied by their wives, sat in the front row of the funeral in St. Peter's Square but were separated by nearly a dozen leaders. Zelensky glanced Trump's way, but they were not seen to meet in public.

Both sides had kept the prospects of a meeting vague ahead of the funeral, with Trump saying only it was "possible."

Tensions have been high since Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelensky in the Oval Office on February 28, calling him ungrateful for the billions of dollars of US military assistance given since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Trump, while calling on President Vladimir Putin to stop Russia's attacks on Ukraine, has recently blamed Zelensky for the war and the continuing bloodshed.

Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering a conflict not seen in Europe for decades.

The US has not revealed details of its peace plan, but has suggested freezing the front line and accepting Russian control of Crimea in exchange for peace.

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Arriving in Rome late Friday, Trump pushed for the Russian and Ukrainian leaders to meet after what he said was progress in talks.

"They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to 'finish it off,'" he posted on his Truth Social platform.

"Most of the major points are agreed to," he said.

Putin on Friday discussed the "possibility" of direct talks with Ukraine in a meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff.

Zelensky again rejected suggestions that Ukraine give up Crimea.

Witkoff's meeting with Putin came just after a top Russian general was killed in a car bomb attack outside Moscow.

An increasingly frustrated Trump last week threatened to walk away from peace efforts if he does not see progress towards a ceasefire.

Trump last year promised to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours if elected president, though he said in a Time magazine interview this week that he was speaking "in jest."

The US president, accompanied by his wife Melania, is making the first foreign trip of his second term.

The visit puts him center-stage for a major diplomatic gathering with some 50 heads of state, including 10 reigning monarchs, and Britain's Prince William.

Trump's trip to Italy also comes after he rattled European allies by imposing sweeping tariffs, although he at least temporarily has backed down from the most severe measures.

The US president shook hands with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. He also greeted French President Emmanuel Macron, a close ally.

Other leaders also swarmed Trump after he arrived.

One person he did not meet: his predecessor Joe Biden. Trump has repeatedly disparaged Biden, a devout Catholic attending independently with wife Jill and sitting five rows behind his successor.

Previously, other presidents have taken their predecessors with them on Air Force One to papal funerals.

Official Vatican images showed Trump and Melania stopping by the closed coffin in St. Peter's Basilica after his motorcade had arrived at the Vatican. Trump, in a dark blue suit and tie, and Melania, wearing a black veil, then took their seats in the front row for the service.

Trump earlier said any meetings would be quick and added: "Frankly it's a little disrespectful to have meetings when you're at the funeral of the pope."

He is due to fly back to the US later Saturday after just half a day in the Eternal City.