Kyiv [Ukraine], December 7: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to France on December 7 to attend the inauguration of Notre Dame Cathedral and may use the trip to hold talks with US President-elect Donald Trump.
According to Reuters, citing two sources familiar with the matter, Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Trump 's teams have been planning to arrange a meeting between the two leaders. The sources said the plans could be kept secret until the last minute and the negotiations would take place in private.
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to meet Trump late on the afternoon of December 7 in Paris and meet with Mr. Zelensky shortly afterward, according to Reuters. According to informed sources, a trilateral meeting between the US, Ukraine and France could take place.
The US and Ukraine have not commented on the new information.
Any meeting with Trump in Paris would be an opportunity for Zelensky to make his case for more support from the United States. The two met at Trump Tower in New York on September 27, where Trump pledged that he could come up with a "mutually good" solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict if he is elected in November.
With France in political limbo following the collapse of its government on December 5, Macron hopes to shine on the international stage by acting as a "communication bridge" between the US and Ukrainian leaders and demonstrating Paris's crucial role in supporting Ukraine, diplomats said.
The news of the meeting between Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Trump came as Ukrainian officials are holding high-level talks with President-elect Trump's transition team to narrow major differences in reaching a solution to the war. According to sources, a Ukrainian delegation led by Mr. Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, has arrived in the United States to build a contact point with the incoming US administration.
Mr. Yermak is expected to meet with Mr. Keith Kellogg - who was chosen by President-elect Trump as special envoy to Russia and Ukraine and Mr. Mike Waltz - who was chosen by Mr. Trump as US national security advisor.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
