President-elect Donald Trump reentered the global stage on Saturday in Paris to celebrate the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral and engaged in discussions that could have ripple effects on America’s involvement in the Ukraine war.
Mr. Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of the reopening ceremony for the cathedral, which was ravaged by fire in 2019.
His visit to Paris is the president-elect’s first overseas trip since winning the general election in November. It also comes as Mr. Macron has worked to solidify his relationship with Mr. Trump, which started strong during the president-elect’s first term, but became strained.
Mr. Macron, who was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Mr. Trump for his victory last month, welcomed Mr. Trump with a literal red carpet treatment at the Elysee Palace.
“It’s a great honor for French people to welcome you five years later,” Mr. Macron said of Mr. Trump. “And you were, at that time, president for the first time. And I remember the solidarity and your immediate action. So welcome back again. We are very happy to have you here.”
Mr. Trump told reporters before meeting with Mr. Macron and Mr. Zelenskyy that he and his French counterpart “had a great relationship,” and that the pair accomplished much during his first stint in the White House.
“We had a good time together and we had a lot of, a lot of success, really great success working together on defense and offense, too,” Mr. Trump continued. “And it certainly seems like the world is going a little crazy right now.”
Indeed, Mr. Macron and other European leaders are trying to convince the incoming president to continue America’s support of Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Mr. Zelenskyy said on X after the meeting that the trilateral discussion was “good and productive.”
I had a good and productive trilateral meeting with President @realDonaldTrump and President @EmmanuelMacron at the Élysée Palace.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 7, 2024
President Trump is, as always, resolute. I thank him. I also extend my gratitude to Emmanuel for organizing this important meeting.
We all want… pic.twitter.com/eKMtuhp2ZI
“President Trump is, as always, resolute. I thank him,” Mr. Zelenskyy said. “I also extend my gratitude to Emmanuel for organizing this important meeting. We all want this war to end as soon as possible and in a just way. We spoke about our people, the situation on the ground, and a just peace.
“We agreed to continue working together and keep in contact. Peace through strength is possible,” he continued.
The U.S. has been the single largest provider of military assistance to the war beleaguered country in its fight against Russia, but Mr. Trump’s victory in November sent a wave of uncertainty as to whether that trend would continue.
Throughout his campaign, Mr. Trump said if he were in office at the time, Russia would never have invaded Ukraine, and repeatedly vowed to end the war immediately if he won but gave no real plan as to how he would.
As the fighting has raged and more money has been spent, Republicans have generally soured on continuing to support Ukraine. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, faced a failed push to oust him from his position when he put more Ukraine aid on the House floor, which ultimately passed.
President Biden, who was not in attendance at the reopening ceremony in Paris, requested that lawmakers include additional Ukraine aid in an impending short term funding patch to keep the government open through the Holiday season, but Mr. Johnson shut down that idea earlier this week.
Mr. Trump met with other dignitaries and foreign leaders while in Paris, including Prince William.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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