内容摘要：Birmingham City Council needs to tackle a £300m budget shortfall over the next two years.

Birmingham City Council needs to tackle a £300m budget shortfall over the next two years.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and currently controls around 20% of Ukrainian territory.The meeting to discuss the US-Ukraine deal, which involved access to Ukrainian oil, gas and rare minerals, came after the new US president appeared to blame Zelensky for the war and chided him for not starting peace talks with Russia earlier.

His tone had softened in recent days,But Friday's conversation soured after the US Vice-President JD Vance - who was sat alongside other politicians in the room - told Zelensky that the war had to be ended through diplomacy.Zelensky responded by asking "what kind of diplomacy?", referencing a previous ceasefire deal in 2019, agreed three years before Russia's full-scale invasion when Moscow was supporting and arming separatist fighters in Ukraine's east.

The vice-president then accused Zelensky of being disrespectful and "litigating" the situation in front of the media.From there, the discussion escalated quickly, as Trump and Vance accused Ukraine's president of being ungrateful for three years of US support during the war with Russia, with Trump saying Zelensky was in no position to tell the US how it should feel.

Not long after the meeting - and well ahead of the pre-planned schedule - Zelensky was seen leaving the White House in his official vehicle.

Trump took to Truth Social, the social media platform he owns,On Tuesday, Zelensky said he was ready in principle to see Trump in Rome. "We are always ready to meet with our partners from the United State of America," he said.

The following day, Trump said he had "a lot of meetings set up" but did not say with whom. Zelensky's presence was initially in doubt following the latest Russian strikes on Kyiv, but his arrival in Rome was confirmed by a Ukrainian presidential spokesman on Saturday.The diplomatic focus will be on the part of St Peter's Square where presidents and prime ministers, princes and monarchs will sit waiting for the obsequies to begin. That will be the main opportunity for them to mingle and discuss the issues of the day, to make contacts and establish relationships.

The journey to Rome could also provide an opportunity for diplomatic encounters. The Vatican said 170 delegations were coming including about 50 heads of state, 15 heads of government and 12 reigning monarchs. The chances of them meeting at one of Rome's two airports on arrival or departure is high.But while funerals can present diplomatic opportunities, they can also pose threats. There is the possibility of leaders coming into contact with an adversary. That is because politicians who are subject to European travel sanctions can visit Vatican City because it is considered neutral territory. Crucially, neither President Vladimir Putin of Russia, nor President Xi Jinping of China are due to attend.