"It is an honor for me to be here." These were the first words of Donald Trump at the Élysée Palace, where the elected U.S. president was welcomed by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
Trump arrived in Paris for the re-inauguration ceremony of the restored Notre-Dame Cathedral, marking his first overseas trip since winning the presidential election.
Macron reminded that Donald Trump was president in 2019 when Notre-Dame suffered significant damage due to a fire. "I remember your solidarity and your immediate reaction. Welcome back," he added.
The elected American president, in turn, recalled the "good times" and "successes" of Franco-American relations during his previous term.
"The world is a bit crazy, and we will talk about it," he concluded.
Trump's visit to France comes at a time when Macron and other European leaders are trying to persuade him to soften his stance on supporting Ukraine in its defense against the Russian invasion. The Élysée Palace reported that Macron and Trump would discuss this, as well as wars in the Middle East.
Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined Trump and Macron, and they continued their discussion in a trilateral format.
After the meeting, Zelensky posted on social media:
"A good, productive meeting with President Trump and President Macron. President Trump, as always, is determined. Thank you for that. Also, thanks to President Macron for organizing this meeting in Paris. We talked about our people, the situation on the battlefield, and a just world for Ukraine. We all want to end this war as quickly and fairly as possible," he wrote.