WASHINGTON (TNND) — U.S. officials are emphasizing the critical importance of the upcoming week in efforts to broker a peace deal to end the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

A notable moment occurred at Pope Francis's funeral, where former President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were seen in deep conversation at Saint Peter’s Basilica. Both leaders later expressed optimism about progress toward ending the war.

"I think the meeting went well. We'll see what happens over the next few days," Trump said, marking a shift from their previous meeting in the Oval Office, where Trump had warned Zelenskyy, "You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right nowYou’re gambling with World War 3."

Trump's stance on Russian President Vladimir Putin also appears to be shifting. On Truth Social, Trump criticized Putin for recent attacks on Ukraine, writing, "It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along," and suggested that sanctions might be necessary.

This comes after a reportedly productive meeting between Putin and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told CBS, "President Trump has his own proposals and has his own styleWe concentrate on the real negotiations in which President Trump supports and instructed his people to continue to engage in these negotiations."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio underscored the urgency of the situation, stating, "This week is going to be a really important week in which we have to make a determination about whether this is an endeavor that we want to continue to be involved in, or if it’s time to sorta focus on some other issuesWe’re close, but we’re not close enough."