Spontaneous applause broke out in St Peter’s Square when Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived for the funeral of Pope Francis.

Around 50 world leaders and 10 reigning monarchs have gathered in the square in Vatican City for the funeral, which is currently taking place.

Zelenskyy arrived in a stream of world leaders who were taking their seats in St Peter’s Square before the funeral began.

When the crowd caught sight of him and his image appeared on the screens set up around the square, applause could be heard.

Among the other leaders in attendance is US President Donald Trump, whose administration is still attempting to broker a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy’s spokesperson has said the Ukrainian President and his US counterpart met briefly in Rome before the funeral.

‘The meeting took place and is already over,’ Sergiy Nykyforov told journalists without elaborating.

Former US president, Joe Biden, who is the only Catholic to be elected president since John F Kennedy in 1960, is also attending Pope Francis’s funeral alongside his wife Jill.