United States President-elect Donald Trump met, for the first time since his election, his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday in Paris, under the auspices of French President Emmanuel Macron, just before the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral.
• Also read: Notre-Dame reopens its doors to an audience of chefs d’State and personalities
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Mr. Trump, who is making his first foreign trip to France since his election on November 5, first arrived alone at the Élysée Palace, around 3:45 p.m. GMT.
Mr. Zelensky in turn set foot on the gravel of the courtyard of the presidential palace less than an hour later, for this trilateral meeting “decided somewhat at the last moment”, according to a French diplomatic source.
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MM. Trump and Zelensky shook hands for a long time, then the three men posed, looking serious, in front of photographers in the Golden Salon of the Élysée, before beginning their discussions behind closed doors.
This meeting is of crucial importance for Volodymyr Zelensky, who has only had a brief telephone discussion with Donald Trump since the latter’s election at the beginning of November.
The future American president has repeatedly affirmed that he intends to strongly distance himself from the policy of massive support for Kyiv led by Joe Biden in the war caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Very critical of the billions of dollars in aid released by the United States to militarily support Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion, Mr. Trump promised to resolve the war in Ukraine “in 24 hours”, without specifying how.
Kyiv, for its part, wants to approach a possible peace negotiation with Russia from a position of strength and with sufficient security guarantees.
Several NATO countries, led by the United States, are however reluctant to invite Ukraine to join the Atlantic Alliance, as requested by Kyiv.
Upon his arrival at the Élysée, Mr. Trump underlined his “excellent relations” with the French president, with whom he exchanged warm handshakes, on the steps of the presidential palace, in front of the Republican Guard in full pomp.
“Welcome back,” said Emmanuel Macron, who has been in office at the Élysée since 2017, and who had already spent a long time with Mr. Trump during his first presidential term, from 2017 to 2021.
At the end of the meeting
“Let us continue joint action for peace and security,” says Macron after meeting with Trump and Zelensky
“Let us continue joint action for peace and security,” French head of state Emmanuel Macron declared on Saturday after bringing together his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and United States President-elect Donald Trump at the Élysée.
“United States, Ukraine and France. Together on this historic day. Gathered for Notre Dame,” he said on X. “We have so many challenges to face together,” he also declared on the social network about his relationship with the American billionaire, who will be returning to the White House in January.
A “slightly crazy world”
“The world seems to be going a little crazy right now, and that’s what we’re going to talk about,” Donald Trump also commented.
In addition to the war in Ukraine since the invasion of this country by Russia in February 2022, events are jostling in the Middle East, between the fragile ceasefire in place in Lebanon since November 27, the continuation of the Israeli offensive in Gaza and the rebel offensive which threatens the power of President Assad in Syria.
Before arriving at the Élysée, Donald Trump declared on his Truth Social platform that the United States should not “meddle” in the situation in Syria, at a time when rebel groups say they are beginning to encircle the capital Damascus.
“Syria is a mess, but it is not our friend, and the United States should have nothing to do with it. This is not our fight. Let (the situation) develop. Let’s not get involved!” wrote the future American president, who came to Paris accompanied by Steve Witkoff, his special envoy for the Middle East, and his adviser for the Middle East, Massad Boulos.
In addition to Presidents Trump and Zelensky, around forty heads of state and government were invited to attend the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on Saturday evening, restored in five years after its fire on April 15, 2019.
During the ceremony, Donald Trump will be seated alongside Emmanuel Macron. All the distinguished guests were then to meet at a dinner.
If Mr. Trump arrived in Paris on Friday evening, one of his closest allies during the electoral campaign, American billionaire Elon Musk, was expected in the French capital on Saturday afternoon.
The US president-elect was also due to meet Prince William, eldest son of King Charles III, who is attending the Notre-Dame reopening ceremony on behalf of the United Kingdom.
The current American president Joe Biden is represented by his wife Jill Biden.