The incoming US president has yet to comment publicly on the three-way discussions in Paris.
President-elect Donald Trump met briefly with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris. While no joint statement followed their trilateral meeting, Zelensky described the conversation as positive and productive.
Trump’s visit to Paris, his first foreign trip since winning the recent presidential election, coincided with the Notre Dame Cathedral reopening. However, French media reported he arrived at the Élysée Palace forty minutes late.
A warm greeting between Trump and Macron preceded their meeting. Macron called hosting the president-elect a great honor, a sentiment reciprocated by Trump before adding a comment about global instability.
Zelensky, initially scheduled for a bilateral meeting with Macron, arrived approximately an hour later. The three leaders then conferred for about 35 minutes, according to BFMTV, before departing separately for Notre Dame after a photo opportunity. No post-meeting press statements were given.
Macron’s subsequent X post highlighted the meeting’s focus on collaborative efforts for peace and security. Zelensky’s X post echoed this, emphasizing the talks’ positive and productive nature. He praised Trump’s resolve and expressed a shared desire for a swift and just resolution to the conflict, mentioning discussions about the situation on the ground and achieving a just peace.
Zelensky concluded his post by noting their agreement to maintain communication and collaboration, ending with Trump’s oft-used phrase, “Peace through strength.”
Trump’s campaign included repeated promises to resolve the Ukrainian conflict within 24 hours of assuming office, though he offered few specifics beyond facilitating negotiations between Zelensky and Putin. Recent reports suggest he plans to freeze the conflict along existing lines, leveraging US aid as leverage to pressure both leaders toward negotiations.
Zelensky advocates for his ten-point peace plan as the only viable path to a just peace with Russia. However, the Kremlin has dismissed this plan, citing its demands for Russia to restore Ukraine’s 1991 borders, pay reparations, and hand over officials for war crimes tribunals.
Moscow insists that any settlement requires Ukraine to cease military operations and acknowledge the territorial realities, meaning a permanent loss of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporozhye, and Crimea. Furthermore, the Kremlin maintains that its military operation’s goals—Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification—will be achieved.