Trump swoops into Paris as Europe prepares for a more transactional relationship

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Donald Trump marks his return to the world stage at the reopening of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris on Saturday as Europe braces for the incoming administration to take a harder, more transactional approach to the transatlantic relationship.

The event, which has attracted some 50 world leaders, comes at a decisive moment for Europe as Trump warns of punitive tariffs and pushes to end the war between Ukraine and Russia quickly. 

Emmanuel Macron will seek to open a dialogue on pressing issues during the two-day event, and also appears to be trying to broker the first meeting between Trump and Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The French president is to meet Trump on Saturday afternoon at the Elysée palace, followed by Zelenskyy, according to a schedule put out by the presidency.

With Ukraine heavily dependent on US weapons to fight Russia, Zelenskyy has been lobbying Trump not to abandon their cause or force them to accept unfavourable peace conditions. 

Facilitating an informal meeting would be a diplomatic coup for Macron, who has been on the retreat domestically since losing legislative elections over the summer and having his handpicked prime minister toppled this week.

“This will be a high-level diplomatic moment to establish connections and also for leaders to try to glean hints of what Trump will do when he takes office,” said Patrick Martin-Genier, an international relations professor at Sciences Po.

European leaders, many of whom feared the return of Trump, have now begun to court him.  

The reopening is a triumph for Macron, who championed the cause of repairing within five years the cathedral that was nearly destroyed in a fire in 2019. 

Macron, who is one of few European leaders in office during the first Trump term, will be hoping to draw on his experience dealing with the unpredictable 78-year old president-elect.

During Trump’s first term, Macron used flattery and pomp to curry favour with the US president and invited him to the Bastille Day military parade, sparking a shortlived friendship that broke down over American tariffs on French goods such as cognac.

Trump announced on social media that he would attend the reopening by praising Macron for his “wonderful job” on the rapid restoration of the cathedral “to its full level of glory”. He added: “It will be a special day for all!”

The presence of prominent figures in Trump’s delegation who will represent him in the Middle East present further diplomatic opportunities on the sidelines of Notre-Dame.

His entourage includes Steve Witkoff, a special envoy who recently held talks with Israel and Qatar over a ceasefire in Gaza, and Massad Boulos, an adviser tasked with maintaining the US and French brokered ceasefire in Lebanon and the father in law of Trump’s daughter Tiffany.

Trump last week named another family connection to serve as US ambassador to France: Charles Kushner, a real estate developer who is the father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

About 3,000 visitors, including the Prince of Wales and the presidents of Germany and Italy, will be among the first to witness the new bright interiors that have erased any trace of the blaze.

The ceremonies are set to begin at 7pm local time but the outdoor part, including a star-studded concert, was cancelled because of bad weather.

The gothic masterpiece of Notre-Dame will officially be reopened as a place of worship when the Archbishop of Paris strikes its towering wooden doors and enters in a procession towards the altar.