President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Rome for funeral ceremony of Pope Francis – President's Office

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Rome to take part in the farewell ceremony for Pope Francis.

The presidential spokesman Serhii Nikiforov has reported this in a comment to Suspilne.

On April 26, the funeral of Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at the age of 88, will take place in Rome. For the first time in over 100 years, the Pope will be buried outside the Vatican – in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

The funeral ceremony of Pope Francis will begin at 10:00 a.m. local time (11:00 a.m. in Kyiv) in the square in front of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

Numerous heads of state and representatives of royal families from around the world will arrive for the funeral of Pope Francis. The ceremonies on April 26 are expected to be attended by 130 foreign delegations, including about 50 presidents and 10 monarchs.

Among those who have announced their presence at the pontiff's funeral are US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Argentine leader Javier Milei, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Prince William of Wales, and King Felipe VI of Spain. For Trump, this will be his first foreign trip as US president during his second term.

Patriarchs, archbishops, bishops and priests from around the world will also take part in the ceremonies.

The participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Pope's funeral has remained in question until recently. The Ukrainian president's office initially confirmed his plans to attend the ceremony with Olena Zelenska. However, after russia's massive attack on Kyiv and Ukraine on April 24, Zelenskyy urgently cut short his visit to the Republic of South Africa.

Zelenskyy's press secretary, Serhii Nikiforov, said that Zelenskyy's further schedule "will depend on the development of the situation." Western media speculated that if Zelenskyy came to the funeral, he could meet Trump in Rome.

The Italian Ministry of Defense will tighten security measures due to the presence of a huge number of world leaders. A no-fly zone has been declared over Rome; a destroyer will be deployed off the coast of Fiumicino; systems capable of jamming and countering drones will be deployed in the Italian capital, as well as Eurofighter jets to ensure air security over the entire region.