In Paris, the opening ceremony of the restored Notre Dame after the fire took place. It became a stellar time for President Macron, which he promised five years ago bring back to life the most outstanding architectural monument and make the stone heart of Paris even more beautiful. The French president certainly succeeded. How to use this event to strengthen your position on the international stage, initiating informal negotiations and discussions of key international issues among the leaders gathered in festive Paris. The ceremony, which brought together the leaders of 50 countries, also provided a platform for “cunning diplomacy” – that’s how these meetings characterized edition of The Washington Post. The central event at the celebrations was the meeting between Trump, Macron and Zelensky. It was about her in the context of the restoration of the cultural icon of France that the world media wrote about. Trump again found himself in the center of international attention. Everything points to the fact that he likes it there, as well as exerting influence on international politics and diplomacy
Trump’s intentions and Europe’s concerns
The fact that Trump met with the Ukrainian president through the mediation of Macron signals that he perceives the Ukrainian issue as one of the priorities in his foreign policy. For the newly elected American president, who is in the stage of transit of power, numerous secret documents became available, which, apparently, changed his vision of the war. The promised “termination within 24 hours” probably seemed to him not so realistic after reading the closed data. As noted American press, Trump’s presence at an important cultural and diplomatic event for Europe indicates his rethinking of US foreign policy.
Trump’s return to power caused concern in Paris, so Macron decided to confirm his friendly intentions for the newly elected American president early and gave him the opportunity to feel himself in the center of attention. The French president gave Trump the best seat at the ceremony, a red carpet was laid out in front of him. Edition The World notes that the concern of Paris and other European capitals is related to the fact that Trump’s promises to end the war in a flash may actually mean the end of support for Kyiv. So Macron initiated a tripartite meeting to lobby for Ukraine’s interests in American foreign policy, which will start in January after the inauguration
Trump Edition The New York Times notes that Zelenskyy used the sidelines of a significant event to promote Kyiv’s interests.
Although the content of the meeting remained unknown, it was expected that the Ukrainian president would raise with Trump the issue of protecting Ukraine’s interests. This is due to concerns that Trump’s promises to quickly end the war could lead to the loss of significant territory to Russia and leave Kyiv without the necessary security guarantees to prevent future aggression.
Trump’s controversial personnel appointments leave the Ukrainian issue uncertain
Edition Politician Europe expresses concern that the personnel appointments of the newly elected American president do not add clarity to his next steps. His team includes both stalwarts on Russia and NATO, such as National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio, and critics of the alliance, such as controversial Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, and Vice President-elect J.J. Dee Vance, who insisted on cutting aid to Ukraine.
Such a personnel policy may be an attempt to appease various political groups: at the same time, to attract the support of conservative “hawks” who are in favor of containing Russia, and to appease isolationists who are in favor of reducing spending on international obligations. The inclusion in the team of people with a softer position towards Russia may also be a signal of the possibility of dialogue and a reduction of tension between Washington and Moscow.
Feedback from the participants of the tripartite meeting
“The world is going crazy and we’re going to talk about it,” Trump said in a show of intent when he arrived in Paris and agreed to a tripartite meeting initiated by Macron. At the same time, according to the publication Picture, Macron initially planned to hold two separate meetings — one with Trump, the other with Zelensky. Being late for almost forty minutes, the newly elected American president created an opportunity for dialogue with both leaders, as it was important for him to talk with Zelenskyi and prepare the ground for statements about Ukraine’s readiness for negotiations to end the war.
“Zelensky and Ukraine want to make an agreement and stop this madness”Trump wrote on his platform a little later Truth Social. “It is necessary to immediately announce a cease-fire and start negotiations. Too many lives are needlessly lost, too many families destroyed. If this continues, the situation may develop into something much more large-scale and dangerous.”, he added. It is hard not to agree with these statements of the newly elected American president.
Trump’s statement on the Truth Social platform at least signals his desire to position himself as a peacemaker seeking to end the ongoing war. However, the formulation of intentions causes certain cautions.
The call for an “immediate ceasefire” can be interpreted as a willingness to pressure Ukraine to reach an agreement even at the expense of its national interests. By pointing to the risk of a “much larger and more dangerous” conflict, Trump underscores the threat of escalation, but at the same time he may be trying to scare his supporters in the US and encourage them to support his approach to resolving the war, which potentially includes cutting aid to Ukraine and taking action against Western alliances. At the same time, this approach can be seen as an attempt to avoid US intervention in the conflict and to restore the country’s economic and military resources, which is an important element of its pre-election strategy. Therefore, the issue of peace talks proposed by Trump remains controversial, as it may endanger the strategic interests of Ukraine and its territorial integrity. Many European countries also fear that Trump could impose an unfair ceasefire agreement that would effectively recognize Russia and Kremlin President Vladimir Putin as the victors in a war of aggression.
After the meeting in Paris, Zelensky described Trump as “resolute”. He noted that the tripartite meeting was productive. On his platform X, the Ukrainian president wrote: “We all want this war to end as quickly and fairly as possible. We discussed our people, the situation at the front and a just peace for Ukraine.”. The leaders agreed on further cooperation. “Peace through strength is possible“.
Trump’s strategy for Ukraine against the background of instability in Europe
The political situation in Europe and the USA significantly affects the course of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Uncertainty in Germany, where parliamentary elections will soon be held, makes it difficult to predict the future political course and support for Ukraine. Even if Friedrich Merz, who supports Ukraine, becomes federal chancellor, his ability to implement his policies will depend on coalition agreements and domestic political conditions.
In France, political instability caused by the lack of a stable government also limits President Macron’s options. This situation may persist until the presidential elections in 2027 or even until possible early elections to the National Assembly in 2025. In such conditions, France is not capable of clearly formulating and conducting a stable foreign policy, in particular with regard to Ukraine. Macron obviously wants to actively build good relations with Trump, because for Europeans, Trump’s return to power carries many risks, in particular on issues of trade and climate change.
Trump is likely to take these intra-European challenges into account when assessing the potential for cooperation with European partners, particularly Germany and France. His meeting with Macron and Zelenskyi shows a willingness to cooperate in a tripartite format and find joint solutions, instead of acting independently.
