With President-elect Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and dozens of other world leaders in town Saturday for the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral, French President Emmanuel Macron has succeeded in making Paris the capital of international diplomacy for the day.
Trump earlier landed in Paris on his first international trip since his election win, joined later by Zelenskyy, with both men preparing for a day of intense diplomacy before attending the reopening ceremony for the Notre Dame cathedral restored after the 2019 fire.
With some 40 heads of state and government expected in the French capital, the event provides a unique chance for leaders to brush shoulders with Trump before the tycoon-turned-politician takes office in January.
Trump arrived at Orly airport in the south of Paris aboard a private plane, said an airport source, asking not to be named.
He is meeting with Macron and Zelenskyy, which is of huge importance given the fears in Kyiv that Trump, who once boasted he could end Russia's war on Ukraine in 24 hours, may urge concessions to Moscow.
Trump has scoffed at the billions of dollars in U.S. military assistance to Ukraine and has spoken of forcing a quick settlement.
Macron invited both Trump and outgoing President Joe Biden. Trump accepted the invitation, while the current administration will be represented by first lady Jill Biden.
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.
'Very, Very Nasty'
Macron will be basking in his role as facilitator of the day of frenetic diplomacy at a time of domestic crisis after his prime minister was ousted in a no-confidence vote this week and is staying on only as a caretaker.
Trump posted on his Truth Social page that 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!"
For Macron, the invitation to Trump marks a sense of deja vu as he tries to woo an impulsive president with whom he has had sharp disagreements.
Macron welcomed Trump in 2017, after his first election, with the glamour of dinner at the Eiffel Tower and the pomp of watching a Bastille Day military parade down the Champs-Elysees — which Trump later said he wanted to emulate in Washington.
Trump's relationship with Macron gradually soured, albeit not as quickly as it did with a number of other leaders, such as then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
In 2019, Trump said the French leader was "very, very nasty" and lashed out at his economic record after Macron criticized the U.S. level of commitment to the NATO alliance.
When Trump won again a month ago, Macron was one of the first world leaders to speak to Trump by telephone to congratulate him.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has decided not to make the trip, after her presence was initially announced by Brussels.
She is in the throes of a major spat with Macron after going to Montevideo on Friday to announce the conclusion of a free trade agreement between the EU and four South American countries, which is opposed by France and some other European countries.
The U.K.'s Prince William, the elder son of King Charles III and heir to the throne, will hold meetings with Trump and Jill Biden while in Paris for the Saturday reopening of Notre Dame, his office said.
The last time William met Trump was in 2019, when the then-president was on a state visit to the U.K.