Ukraine's leader meets with US and European officials ahead of high-stakes Trump-Putin call

ROME, Italy (AP) — 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.

Trump has said he plans to speak with Putin about stopping the “bloodbath” in Ukraine, and then speak to Zelenskyy and leaders of various NATO countries.

Zelenskyy also met with the new pope after the Mass. “The authority and voice of the Holy See can play an important role in bringing this war to an end,” the Ukrainian president wrote on social media. He thanked the Vatican for its readiness to become a platform for direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

Rubio on Saturday said the Vatican could be a venue for peace talks, taking up the Holy See’s longstanding offer after Leo vowed to personally make “every effort” to help end the war.

Ahead of a meeting in Rome with Vance and Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni, EU Commission head Ursula Von der Leyen urged parties to “push things forward."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he spoke to Zelenskyy and Rubio on the sidelines of the pope’s inauguration. Merz said he had agreed with the leaders of France and Britain “that we will speak again with the American president in preparation for this conversation.”

Merz told reporters that “my firm impression is that both the Europeans and the Americans are determined to work together, but now also in a goal-oriented manner, to ensure that this terrible war ends soon."

Putin spurned Zelenskyy’s offer to meet face-to-face in Turkey after he himself proposed direct negotiations — although not at the presidential level — as an alternative to a 30-day ceasefire urged by Ukraine and its Western allies, including the U.S.

The talks in Istanbul broke up after less than two hours, although both sides agreed on exchanging 1,000 prisoners of war each, according to the heads of both delegations. Ukraine’s intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said on Ukrainian television Saturday that the exchange could happen as early as next week.

Russia on Sunday fired a total of 273 exploding drones and decoys targeting Ukraine's Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions, Ukraine’s air force said. Of those, 88 were intercepted and 128 lost, likely being electronically jammed.

Yuriy Ihnat, head of the air force's communications department, told The Associated Press the barrage was the biggest drone attack since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Previously, Russia’s largest known single drone attack was on the eve of the war’s third anniversary, when Russia pounded Ukraine with 267 drones.

Kyiv regional Gov. Mykola Kalashnyk said a 28-year-old woman was killed in a drone attack and three other people, including a 4-year-old child, were wounded.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down seven Ukrainian drones overnight and another 18 Sunday morning.

Morton reported from London. Associated Press writers Yehor Konovalov and Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This picture made available by Vatican Media on Sunday, May 18, 2025, shows Pope Leo XIV meeting Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican. (Vatican Media via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, a man reacts at the body of a killed resident following Russia's drone attack in the Kyiv region, Ukraine, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following Russia's drone attack in the Kyiv region, Ukraine, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following Russia's drone attack in the Kyiv region, Ukraine, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following Russia's drone attack in the Kyiv region, Ukraine, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following Russia's drone attack in the Kyiv region, Ukraine, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.

The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.

A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.

“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.

“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”

Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.

Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.

The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)