Trump returns to world stage at Notre-Dame reopening in France

US president-elect Donald Trump on Saturday landed in Paris on his first international trip since his election win, preparing for a day of intense diplomacy before attending the reopening ceremony for the Notre Dame cathedral restored after the 2019 fire.

President Emmanuel Macron scored a major coup in Trump’s acceptance of the invitation to attend the ceremony in the evening, where he will be joined by scores of other leaders.

The event provides a unique chance for leaders to brush shoulders with Trump before the tycoon turned politician takes office in January.

Trump arrived at Orly airport in the south of Paris aboard a private plane just before 0700 GMT, said an airport source, asking not to be named.

He is to hold talks at the Elysee Palace with Macron on Saturday afternoon. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who is due to meet Macron an hour later, may also meet Trump, a Ukrainian official said on Friday.

Such a meeting would be of huge importance given the fears in Kyiv that Trump, who once boasted he could end Russia’s war on Ukraine in 24 hours, may urge concessions to Moscow.