Seoul Gazette - With Trump in Paris, Notre Dame reopening becomes hub for diplomacy

President-elect Trump earlier landed in Paris on his first international trip since his election win, joined later by Zelensky, with both men preparing for a day of intense diplomacy before attending the reopening ceremony from 1800 GMT 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 just before 0700 GMT, said an airport source, asking not to be named.

He is to hold talks at the Elysee Palace with President Macron at 1500 GMT.

Zelensky, who is due to meet Macron an hour later at 1600 GMT, may also meet Trump, a Ukrainian official said on Friday.

Such a meeting would be 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 US military assistance to Ukraine and has spoken of forcing a quick settlement.

No trilateral meeting is however awaited between Trump, Macron and Zelensky.

Macron invited both Trump and outgoing President Joe Biden. Trump accepted the invite, 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 only staying on 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 US 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 criticised the US 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.

UK'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-US president was on a state visit to the UK.

J.Lim--SG