Emmanuel Macron welcomes Trump and Zelenskyy for a meeting ahead of Notre Dame's reopening

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Donald Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Paris on Saturday, holding an impromptu meeting at the Elysee Palace ahead of the opening ceremony of the Notre Dame Cathedral.

It is Trump’s first foreign visit since being elected President of the United States, and came as 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. Macron's office said that would be discussed as well as the wars in the Middle East.

As Trump arrived at the official residence of the French president, Macron went out of his way to project an image of close ties, posing for multiple handshakes interspersed with plenty of back-patting. Trump said it was “a great honour” and talked about the “great relationship” they have had. A grand red carpet was rolled in the same way the French welcome sitting American presidents.

Before they went inside, Trump said, “It certainly seems like the world is, going a little crazy right now. And we’ll be talking about that.”

Zelenskyy arrived at the palace about 45 minutes after Trump.

Macron had planned to meet with Zelenskyy, and the French president's office said the three-way meeting was proposed by Macron and arranged shortly before Trump’s arrival. 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.

Macron, who has had an up-and-down relationship with Trump, has made a point of cultivating a relationship since the Republican defeated Democrat Kamala Harris last month. But Macron's office nonetheless played down the significance of the invitation, saying other politicians not now in office had been invited as well.

Trump was invited as president-elect of a “friendly nation,” Macron's office said, adding, “This is in no way exceptional, we’ve done it before."

The red carpet treatment, however, was a sign of how eager both Macron and other European leaders are to win Trump’s favour and placate him even before he takes office.

Trump is known to revel in pomp and circumstance. One of his first trips as president his first term was to Paris, where Macron made him the the guest of honour at Bastille Day events. Trump later said he wanted to replicate the grand military parade back in the United States.

Democratic President Joe Biden was invited as well but will not attend. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre cited a scheduling conflict and said first lady Jill Biden will represent the United States.

The meeting with the French president is taking place before the Notre Dame event, as will the get-together with Prince William, who's also scheduled to meet with Jill Biden, according to the British royal palace.