President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday insisted at a meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump that any settlement with Russia after its invasion of Ukraine had to be “just”, as fears grow in Kyiv on the position of the incoming administration.
President Emmanuel Macron hosted three-way talks with Zelensky and Trump at the Elysee Palace, discussing what the incoming American president had termed a world that was a “little crazy”.
Hours after their meeting, the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden announced a new $988 million military assistance package for Ukraine.
The package features drones, ammunition for precision HIMARS rocket launchers, and equipment and spare parts for artillery systems, tanks and armoured vehicles, the Pentagon said in a statement.
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 encounter with tycoon-turned-politician since his election victory.
The meeting was of huge importance to Zelensky, given 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 also offered a unique chance for Macron to gain insights into how a second Trump presidency will look when he takes office in January. The trip to Paris is Trump’s first international visit since his November 5 election win.
“We all want peace. But it is very important for us… that the peace is just for all of us and that Russia, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin or any other aggressor has no possibility of ever returning,” Zelensky said according to the presidential website.
“And this is the most important thing — a just peace and security guarantees, strong security guarantees for Ukraine,” he added.
Trump has scoffed at the billions of dollars in US military assistance to Ukraine and has spoken of forcing a quick settlement.
But Zelensky also thanked Trump for his “unwavering resolve” describing the talks as “good and productive”.
– ‘Going a little crazy’ –
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.
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 and levy tariffs on trading partners.
In his own reaction to the discussions, Macron wrote on social media: “Let us continue our joint efforts for peace and security.”
European allies have largely enjoyed a close working relationship with Biden on the crisis in the Middle East, but Trump is likely to distance himself and ally the United States even more closely with Israel.
In a sign of the importance of Trump’s one-day trip to Paris, he was accompanied by his pick for White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, as well as his Near East and Middle East advisors, Steve Witkoff and Massad Boulos, according to a guest list issued by the Elysee Palace.
Tesla tycoon and Trump advisor Elon Musk, who was also on the line during a phone call between the incoming president and Zelensky last month, also flew into the French capital was present at the Notre Dame ceremony.
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