Politico posted video showing Macron, who is hosting the meeting, asking Zelenskyy as they walked the grounds of the Hotel Royal whether he had held a bilateral meeting with Trump. Zelenskyy’s reply is not audible on the footage. Macron urged Zelenskyy to stay in France longer; Zelenskyy said he had to travel to Brussels on June 18 for a European Council summit on Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union.
Macron also asked whether Zelenskyy had secured a personal meeting with Trump. Zelenskyy said he had not, but that he had asked for one during a June 14 call with Trump to wish him a happy 80th birthday. “All right, I’ll arrange it,” Macron replied on the video.
Politico said the exchange did not reveal new details but illustrated how European leaders are coordinating and carefully managing their relations with Trump, particularly on the issue of Ukraine. After Trump left last year’s G7 meeting in Canada early to address tensions between Iran and Israel, Macron has faced pressure to keep the U.S. president engaged and prevent another early departure, the outlet added.
As part of that effort, Macron invited Trump to a dinner June
17 evening at the Palace of Versailles to mark the 250th anniversary of the
United States. Some European officials worry that, after the deal with Iran,
Trump might try to steer peace talks over Ukraine himself, sidelining Europeans
and undermining their Russia pressure strategy.