French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Donald Trump to Paris on Saturday with a full dose of presidential pomp as the two men resumed the relationship they established during Trump’s first term after a four-year hiatus.
Mr Trump, the once and future American president, said the two would be discussing a world that’s gone “a little crazy” as they met one-on-one before a celebration of the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral five years after a devastating fire.
Mr Trump’s visit to France comes as Mr Macron and other European leaders are trying to win Trump’s favour and persuade him to maintain support for Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s invasion.
Mr Macron’s office said that would be discussed as well as the wars in the Middle East.
As Mr Trump arrived at the Elysee Palace, the official residence of the French president, Mr Macron went out of his way to project an image of close ties, posing for multiple handshakes interspersed with plenty of back-patting.
Mr Trump said it was “a great honour” and talked about the “great relationship” they have had.
At the palace, a grand red carpet was rolled in the same way the French welcome sitting American presidents.
Before they went inside, Mr Trump said, “It certainly seems like the world is, going a little crazy right now. And we’ll be talking about that.”
Later, Mr Macron and Mr Trump sat down to meet Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr Trump has pledged to end the war in Ukraine swiftly but has not specified how, raising concerns in Kyiv about what terms may be laid out for any future negotiations.
