The Scottish Greens, who introduced the initiative

As for the President of the United States – then Joe Biden – he left no doubt of what he thought of his Russian counterpart, condemning Putin as a "murderous dictator" and a "pure thug".After Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there were no more telephone calls between Putin and Biden.

Fast forward to 2025.A change of president has brought a change of style, a change of language – and a totally different US approach to Russia.Trump says he wants to "work together, very closely" with Putin to end the war in Ukraine. He hopes they will be "visiting each other's nations".

Clearly, so does Vladimir Putin, who invited Trump to Moscow.If that visit goes ahead, it will signify a major shift in US-Russian relations. An American president has not visited Russia for more than a decade.

In many ways Putin has already got what he wants - the chance to negotiate directly with the United States on Ukraine, possibly over the heads of Kyiv and Europe - as well as the opportunity to put himself at the top table of international politics.

It remains unclear, though, how far Putin will be willing to compromise.Hymns played out on giant speakers, occasionally drowned out by the sound of helicopters flying overhead, as drones and seagulls crisscrossed over Michelangelo's dome.

Yet the voice of 91-year-old Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re rang loud and clear as he presided over the mass.The service's structure was very similar to that of any Catholic funeral mass, although the readings were done in many different languages and all hymns were sung in Latin.

Outside St Peter's, a crowd the Vatican later said numbered 200,000 applauded as large screens showed Zelensky take his seat. There was also applause when the Pope's simple wooden coffin was brought out.The crowd's applause marked some other salient moments - such as when Cardinal Re, as part of his homily, remembered the Pope's commitment to migrants and peace.