POPE Leo XIV meets Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday after the pontiff’s inauguration mass.

The bells of St Peter’s Basilica earlier rang out as Chicago-born Leo waved from the popemobile that slowly went round the square

Guests at the mass also included Prince Edward and US Vice President JD Vance.

Upon arriving in Rome late on Saturday, Vance visited the tomb of the late Pope Francis to pay his respects before joining the US delegation honoring Chicago-born Leo.

At 69 years old, the pope has publicly criticized Vance, having previously shared an article on a social media account under his name that denounced the Republican’s remarks concerning a hierarchy of love in Christianity.

Both the United States and Peru get front-row seats at the historic event due to Leo’s dual citizenship as well as strict diplomatic protocol.

Catholic convert Vance, who had clashed with Pope Francis regarding Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans for migrants, was accompanied by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Rubio arrived in Rome ahead of time to try to advance tense Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

Images showed Vance smiling as he shook the hand of President Zelensky – despite the two engaging in the brutal three-way Oval Office shouting match earlier this year.

Moscow last night fired a total of 273 exploding drones and decoys targeting Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, as well as Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions – the biggest Russian drone attack since the start of the war.

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