Macron, Trump, Zelensky discuss crazy world in Paris

PARIS: President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday hosted three-way talks with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump, discussing what the American president-elect termed a world that was a “little crazy”.

Zelensky’s meeting with Trump just before the three men headed to Notre Dame for the re-opening ceremony of the great Paris cathedral was his first face-to-face meeting with tycoon-turned-politician since his election victory.

The meeting was of huge importance to Zelensky given the fears in Kyiv that Trump, who once boasted he could end Russia’s war on Ukraine in 24 hours, may urge Ukraine to make concessions to Moscow.

It offered a unique chance for Macron to gain insights into how a second Trump presidency will shape out when he takes office in January, with the trip to Paris his first international visit since the election win. Trump and Macron embraced and shook hands several times on the steps of the French presidential palace, with Trump given a full guard of honour despite not yet being in office. “It seems like the world is going a little crazy right now and we will be talking about that,” Trump told reporters as he prepared to sit down for the talks with Macron.

Despite tensions between the two men during his first term, Trump hailed his ties with the centrist French leader, saying: “We had a great relationship as everyone knows. We accomplished a lot.”

Macron told Trump it was “a great honour for French people to welcome you” for the re-opening ceremony at Notre Dame, which was devastated by a blaze in 2019 during Trump’s first term. “You were president at that time and I remember the solidarity and the immediate reaction,” Macron added, speaking in English.

When he first took office in 2017, Trump’s ties with Macron -- then also a fresh face on the world stage -- began warmly despite their obvious political differences.

Their long and muscular handshakes -- which saw each man seek to assert his superiority -- became a light-hearted focus of attention before ties cooled, then soured, following disputes about climate change, trade and defence. They were expected to discuss the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as trade.

Trump earlier wrote on his Truth Social platform that the United States should “not get involved” in the situation in Syria, where fast-moving rebel forces say they have begun to encircle the capital Damascus.

The Republican’s return to power has rung 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.

Zelensky joined the talks around half an hour later, hurrying up the steps of the Elysee and posing for a photo with the two other men.

The Ukrainian president, writing on social media, called the three-way meeting “good and productive”.

“We all want this war to end as soon as possible and in a just way,” he added.

In his own reaction to the discussions, Macron wrote on social media: “Let us continue our joint efforts for peace and security.”

Zelensky’s spokesman Sergiy Nykyforov told journalists the meeting lasted approximately 35 minutes, with only the three leaders present.

Trump has scoffed at the billions of dollars in US military assistance to Ukraine and has spoken of forcing a quick settlement.