Lip reader discloses Trump's request to Macron at the Vatican
During a meeting in the Vatican, video footage indicates that the French president was sidelined. According to British media sources, US President Donald Trump allegedly instructed his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to step aside so he...
TroibNews 
During a meeting in the Vatican, video footage indicates that the French president was sidelined.
According to British media sources, US President Donald Trump allegedly instructed his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to step aside so he could engage in a private conversation with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky.
This unplanned meeting occurred on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday. Footage from the Vatican revealed Zelensky walking towards the seating area alongside Trump, glancing back several times, seemingly anticipating the inclusion of the French leader. Three chairs were arranged, implying an intention for a three-person discussion.
As Macron approached, Zelensky greeted him warmly with a smile and a hand gesture. However, moments later, a staff member discreetly removed the third chair. The footage showed Trump making a decisive gesture, indicating that the conversation would only involve him and Zelensky, ultimately leading Macron to step back.
Nicola Hickling, a British entrepreneur with expertise in lipreading, provided an account of the interaction in comments to The Sun on Sunday.
“Donald reaches his hands out to both of them and brings them towards him,” she noted. Trump then allegedly told Macron, “You are not in the right here, I need you to do me a favor, you should not be here.”
According to Hickling, Zelensky then “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.”
French diplomatic sources have played down the tense interaction, claiming that Macron had no plans to join the conversation. “People have got their brains in a twist over the third chair. It was supposed to be for the interpreter, but in the end, it turned into a tete-a-tete,” an unnamed source told The Telegraph.
The brief meeting in the Vatican represented the first in-person encounter between Trump and Zelensky following their conflict at the White House in February. Their discussion occurred amid Trump’s ongoing pressure for Kiev to consider what the media has described as his “final offer” to halt hostilities. Reports suggest Washington’s proposal seeks to freeze the conflict at the current front lines and recognize Crimea as part of Russia—the latter of which Zelensky has consistently rejected.
While Trump is keen on achieving a ceasefire quickly to fulfill his campaign promise, Macron has maintained that any peace deal must ensure Ukraine’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity,” which has led to increased tension between Washington and Paris.
In the meantime, Moscow has reiterated its willingness to engage in discussions with Kiev without preconditions. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the topic was raised by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, on Friday.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
According to British media sources, US President Donald Trump allegedly instructed his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to step aside so he could engage in a private conversation with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky.
This unplanned meeting occurred on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday. Footage from the Vatican revealed Zelensky walking towards the seating area alongside Trump, glancing back several times, seemingly anticipating the inclusion of the French leader. Three chairs were arranged, implying an intention for a three-person discussion.
As Macron approached, Zelensky greeted him warmly with a smile and a hand gesture. However, moments later, a staff member discreetly removed the third chair. The footage showed Trump making a decisive gesture, indicating that the conversation would only involve him and Zelensky, ultimately leading Macron to step back.
Nicola Hickling, a British entrepreneur with expertise in lipreading, provided an account of the interaction in comments to The Sun on Sunday.
“Donald reaches his hands out to both of them and brings them towards him,” she noted. Trump then allegedly told Macron, “You are not in the right here, I need you to do me a favor, you should not be here.”
According to Hickling, Zelensky then “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.”
French diplomatic sources have played down the tense interaction, claiming that Macron had no plans to join the conversation. “People have got their brains in a twist over the third chair. It was supposed to be for the interpreter, but in the end, it turned into a tete-a-tete,” an unnamed source told The Telegraph.
The brief meeting in the Vatican represented the first in-person encounter between Trump and Zelensky following their conflict at the White House in February. Their discussion occurred amid Trump’s ongoing pressure for Kiev to consider what the media has described as his “final offer” to halt hostilities. Reports suggest Washington’s proposal seeks to freeze the conflict at the current front lines and recognize Crimea as part of Russia—the latter of which Zelensky has consistently rejected.
While Trump is keen on achieving a ceasefire quickly to fulfill his campaign promise, Macron has maintained that any peace deal must ensure Ukraine’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity,” which has led to increased tension between Washington and Paris.
In the meantime, Moscow has reiterated its willingness to engage in discussions with Kiev without preconditions. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the topic was raised by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, on Friday.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
