Donald Trump has made his first international trip as US President-elect, joining world leaders and dignitaries in Paris for a celebration of the renovation of Notre Dame Cathedral after a devastating fire in 2019.
Mr Trump wrote when he accepted the invitation earlier this week that French President Emmanuel Macron had done “a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!”
Mr Macron has made a point of cultivating a relationship with the President-elect since he defeated Kamala Harris in the US election last month.
But his office nonetheless played down the significance of the invitation, saying that other politicians who do not currently hold office had been invited as well.
Ahead of the Notre Dame event, Mr Macron will meet Mr Trump and then separately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the French President’s office said.
It is not clear whether Mr Trump will meet Mr Zelensky. Mr Trump has vowed to end the war in Ukraine swiftly but has not specified how he will do so, raising concerns in Kyiv about what terms may be laid out for any future negotiations.
In an effort to build trust with the incoming US administration, Mr Zelensky’s top aide Andriy Yermak met key members of Mr Trump’s team on a two-day trip earlier this week.
A senior Ukrainian official described the meetings as productive, but declined to disclose details.
Relations between France and the US during Mr Trump’s first term began warmly enough but grew increasingly strained over time.
