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Macron welcomed Trump to the Elysée Palace in Paris on Saturday, ahead of the historic reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral five years after it was ravaged by fire.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron (C), US president-elect Donald Trump (L) and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wait to pose before a meeting at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris (AFP)
France President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday hosted trilateral talks with US President-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris, the French presidency said.
Trump who arrived at Paris to attend the opening ceremony of the Notre-Dame Cathedral five years after it was ravaged by fire, held talks with Macron inside the Elysee Palace with Zelenskyy arriving and immediately joining them, , news agency AFP reported.
The three leaders are expected to discuss the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as trade.
Earlier, Macron welcomed Trump, and both the men embraced and shook hands several times on the steps of the French presidential palace, with Trump given a full guard of honour.
It is the first time a foreign leader has hosted Trump since winning the US presidency election and marks the president-elect’s first trip abroad following the election.
After meeting Macron, Trump said that the world was “a little crazy”
“It seems like the world is going a little crazy right now and we will be talking about that,”
Despite tensions between the two Presidents during his first term, Trump hailed his ties with the French leader, saying, “We had a great relationship as everyone knows. We accomplished a lot.”
Macron said it was a “great honour for the French people” to welcome Trump back to Paris for the re-opening of the iconic cathedral.
“You were president at that time and I remember the solidarity and the immediate reaction,” Macron added.
Trump has pledged to end the war in Ukraine swiftly but has not specified how, raising concerns in Kyiv about what terms may be laid out for any future negotiations.
Trump’s return to power has rung alarm alarms in Paris and many European capitals after his promises on the campaign trail to force an end to fighting in Ukraine which could see US military assistance to Kyiv withheld.
(With inputs from AFP)
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