Look inside Notre-Dame cathedral after five years of restoration
Five years ago, Notre-Dame cathedral was engulfed in flames. It’s undergone almost $800 million in reconstruction work since.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to the Elysée Palace in Paris on Saturday, ahead of the historic reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral five years after it was ravaged by fire.
Macron was due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy immediately after Trump, and the French government said Saturday that the trio would meet together.
It is the first time a foreign leader has hosted Trump since winning in November and marks the president-elect’s first trip abroad following the election.
An estimated 50 world leaders are expected to attend the reopening of the cathedral, which has been closed since 2019 after a devastating fire destroyed its spire and roof and brought the 860-year-old building within minutes of collapsing. President Joe Biden is not attending but his wife, first lady Jill Biden, will represent the administration.
The visit brought Trump face-to-face with Zelenskyy, who was also expected to attend the Notre-Dame reopening. The meeting at Elysée was organized by Macron, the French government emphasized in its statement.
AFP previously reported that Zelenskyy could meet with Trump during the trip, citing a Ukrainian government source. However, a Trump transition official said Friday afternoon that no meeting between the two was currently planned. The Ukrainian government was not immediately available for comment.
The pair last met in New York at the end of September when Zelenskyy came to the U.S. for the United Nations General Assembly. The day after the U.S. presidential election, Ukraine’s president confirmed they spoke by phone, making him one of the first foreign leaders to have a conversation with the incoming president.
Trump said as a candidate that he could solve the Russia-Ukraine war in one day and would achieve a resolution if he won the election before he was inaugurated into office. Earlier this week, officials with the Ukrainian government reportedly met with members of Trump’s team, including his incoming national security adviser, Florida Rep. Michael Waltz, and the Vice President-elect, JD Vance.
Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that he visited Washington, New York and Florida for meetings with “key members” of Trump’s team and the American business community.
France’s government was in disarray this week after a no confidence vote led to the resignation of the country’s prime minister. Macron said he would appoint a new one and vowed to stay in office until the end of her term in 2027.
Macron has sought to position himself as a mediator in the war that began in February of 2022 when Russia launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine.
The U.S., France and its economic partners have put sanctions on Russia in an effort to isolate the aggressor nation, cripple its economy and position Ukraine to reclaim its territory. In the lead up to Trump’s return to office, Zelenskyy has pressed the Biden administration to remove restrictions on its ability to strike inside Russian territory and for the NATO alliance to extend a membership offer. Biden’s administration has met some but not all of Ukraine’s requests.
