Paris, Dec 7 (EFE).- At the invitation of French leader Emmanuel Macron, United States president-elect Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday on the sidelines of the festivities marking the reopening of the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral.
Zelenskyy arrived at the Élysée Palace shortly after 5.30 pm local time, where three-quarters of an hour earlier Trump had gone for a one-on-one meeting with Macron.
The Élysée’s chief of protocol and not the French president came out to greet the Ukrainian leader in the courtyard, where the Republican Guard was performing honors.
Zelenskyy moved quickly into the building, where Trump and Macron were waiting for him, and posed with them for a few seconds in front of the cameras with a strained expression before the talks between the three began.
The US president-elect and the French head of state were due to discuss tariffs that Trump has threatened to impose on European Union products entering his country, the war in the Middle East, and, above all, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, given that the United States is the latter’s main arms supplier.
During his election campaign, Trump claimed that he would end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours. His stance has caused uncertainty and anxiety among Europeans, especially in Kyiv, as it could mean the end of Washington’s military support.
In recent weeks, Zelenskyy has suggested that his country will not be able to retake the territory seized by Moscow by force, and has urged the need to seek a diplomatic solution.
After the meeting, which lasted just over an hour, the three leaders posed for photographers again in the Élysée courtyard, and Trump and Zelensky shook hands.
Then the two got into their respective official cars to drive to Notre Dame.
Some forty heads of state and government are expected to attend the reopening of Notre Dame following extensive renovations after a devastating fire that destroyed most of the roof in 2019. Security measures include a contingent of more than 6,000 police and gendarmes and the establishment of a perimeter closed to the public on the Île de la Cité, where the cathedral is located.
In the evening, the guests will attend a dinner hosted by the French President at the Elysée. EFE
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