Peace Through Strength is Possible: President Zelenskyy Meets Macron and Trump at the Élysée Palace
‘We agreed to continue working together and keep in contact. Peace through strength is possible,’ President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Paris the day before after a trilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and US President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday, 7 December.
‘We all want this war to end as soon as possible and in a just way. We spoke about our people, the situation on the ground, and a just peace,’ Zelenskyy added.
He thanked Trump for his determination and Macron for organising this important meeting.
The meeting lasted thirty-five minutes. As they left the palace, the three leaders greeted each other, looking pleased, and shook hands before joining the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame de Paris.
In Paris, the restored Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral was re-opened five and a half years after a major fire last night.
The official ceremony was attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and the leaders of 40 other countries, including Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President-elect Donald Trump, as well as several crowned heads of state. About 4,000 people watched the ceremony from the embankments near the cathedral.
In his speech at the cathedral, Emmanuel Macron honoured all the saviours of Notre Dame.
‘We have rediscovered what great nations are capable of - achieving the impossible,’ the French president said.
Pope Francis declined an invitation to the opening ceremony.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Kyodo News that Ukraine's army does not have the strength to return all the occupied territories on its own and Kyiv will seek diplomatic ways to achieve peace. He clarified that the support of Ukraine from its partners is ‘not enough’ and called on NATO to invite Kyiv to negotiate membership in the Alliance as soon as possible.
Source: x.com/ZelenskyyUa