On December 7th local time, US President elect Trump visited France and held a trilateral meeting with French President Macron and Ukrainian President Zelensky.

This is Trump’s first foreign visit after winning the election, and also his first face-to-face meeting with Zelensky after winning the election.

But occupying two ‘firsts’ does not necessarily mean that actual results will be produced.

In fact, this trilateral meeting looks more like a show.

Diplomatic debut, why visit France?

Trump went to Paris mainly to attend the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame Cathedral.

In April 2019, a fire broke out at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, causing severe damage to the entire building.

After a five-year restoration, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris finally regained its former glory and held a reopening ceremony on December 7th.

For this purpose, French President Macron invited leaders and dignitaries from nearly 50 countries to attend the ceremony.

Trump, who just won the election, naturally won’t miss this excellent opportunity for his “diplomatic debut”.

At the invitation of Macron, Trump and his “first brother” Musk visited Paris to attend an event.

As is well known, Europe is the most important ally of the United States, and Trump’s first visit after winning the election is scheduled to be in France, with the intention of maintaining transatlantic relations.
At 16:45 local time on the 7th, Trump arrived at the É lys é e Palace and shook hands and hugged Macron, who had already been waiting.
Makron was generous in his praise, saying that it was “an honor for the French” to receive Trump and congratulating him on his return to the White House.
Trump also recalled the “happy experience” between the two in the previous term and said, “Now the world has become a bit crazy, and we will discuss this issue together.
According to US media reports, Macron had originally planned to meet with Trump alone, and Zelensky was temporarily seated.
However, “ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict” is Trump’s important campaign commitment, and he also objectively needs to communicate with Zerensky.
So, after nearly half an hour of talks between Trump and Macron, Zelensky arrived at the É lys é e Palace around 5:30 pm to join the talks.

Each has their own thoughts and needs.
The trilateral closed door talks lasted more than 30 minutes, mainly focusing on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Although the detailed content of the talks has not been made public, based on reports from all parties, it is highly likely that the talks did not produce any substantial results, and the three parties were only taking what they needed.
Macron: Take center stage at home.
The reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is a shining moment for France, but the country has yet to emerge from a tumultuous period.
In addition to changing the prime minister like a revolving door, Macron himself is also facing a series of governance challenges, including worsening economic difficulties and questioning policy direction. (See also the article “The Shortest Government of the Fifth French Republic” in this issue)
Recent polls show that more than half of the French people want Ma Kelong to step down as soon as possible.
But Macron firmly stated that he would not resign before the end of his presidential term.
Therefore, he chose to hold a grand event at this time and actively facilitated the offline meeting between Trump and Zelensky. On the one hand, it was to revive the national pride of the “Gallic Rooster”, and on the other hand, it was also to strive for diplomatic achievements and consolidate his precarious political position.
Meanwhile, France has long hoped to shape its strategic autonomy and dominant position in the future security architecture of Europe.
In view of the great changes in the US policy towards Russia-Ukraine conflict, the purpose of Makron’s inauguration is to give France a place in the Russian Ukrainian conflict, participate in the peace talks as a big country, and compete for the right to speak in the bargaining with the US, Russia and Ukraine.
However, the relationship between Macron and Trump is really average.
Trump has repeatedly imitated Macron’s accent in a mocking tone at rallies, while also mocking Macron’s very low approval rating in France and expressing support for Macron’s nationalist opponents on social media.
Macron has repeatedly publicly criticized Trump for questioning the necessity of NATO and bluntly stated that the United States lacks leadership.
Although Macron turned in time, the resentment and estrangement between the two will inevitably be difficult to eliminate.
After the meeting, Macron only stated that the three parties gathered at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, ‘let us continue to act together for peace and security’. Obviously, it is difficult for France to achieve its goals in this home diplomacy.

Trump: Show is more important than action.
The world has become a bit crazy, but Trump seems to be one of the few people who enjoys it and will play with the situation clearly.
First, he won the election by defeating Harris and securing the presidency again.
Furthermore, the unification of party power, executive power, legislative power, judicial power, and public opinion power has been achieved, transforming from almost being a prisoner to becoming the “strongest president” in American history. (See also the article “The Unification of Five Powers, the Strongest in History?”)
Recently, Trump has also nominated cabinet members with great fanfare, using various news gimmicks to cover up the truth of nepotism and money politics. (See also the article “All out! What are the rules for selecting candidates for Trump Cabinet 2.0?”)
During his visit to Paris, Trump not only received a high standard reception from France, but also enjoyed being the center of attention for the crowd.
Based on the live video, Trump has shown more confidence and maturity in diplomatic occasions, far surpassing his first term
Chatting with Italian Prime Minister Meloni and Swedish Prime Minister Kristensen, discussing the “special relationship” between the United States and Britain with Prince William, and discussing the “only friend of the Georgian people” with Georgian President Salome.
Before taking office as president, Trump’s demeanor and airs have surpassed those of the current president, and his vanity has also been greatly satisfied.
Under such circumstances, he has no reason to change his position in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Moreover, the trilateral talks only lasted more than half an hour, making it difficult to carry out in-depth exchanges on such complex issues as the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Trump himself did not provide further explanation on this matter. Considering his personality of “promoting vigorously at the slightest provocation”, it is highly likely that this meeting did not reach a substantive conclusion and mainly focused on exchanging opinions.
In fact, due to the high level of anti Russian sentiment in the United States and Europe, and Trump’s inability to give Zelensky a commitment to join NATO, his vision of ending the conflict can only be said to have great ambition and considerable resistance.

Zelensky: Seeking help is equivalent to survival.
Compared to Trump’s glamour, what remains for Zelensky is only misery.
Trump repeatedly hinted during the election period that he would force Ukraine to negotiate and resolve the conflict within 24 hours.
Recently, Trump nominated retired Army Lieutenant General Kellogg as his special envoy for the Russia Ukraine issue. Kellogg advocates that both Russia and Ukraine should quickly return to the negotiating table, otherwise the United States will stop providing military aid to Ukraine.
After the trilateral meeting, Zelensky wrote on social media platform X that the conversation was “good and productive” and “we all hope that the conflict will end in a fair way as soon as possible”.
But those with discerning eyes know that this is Zelensky’s usual rhetoric, and he is most likely just trying to show off his strength to avoid instability in the morale of the front-line troops.

In fact, Zelensky’s stance has significantly regressed recently.
He proposed that if the territories currently controlled by Ukraine can be “included under the protection umbrella of NATO”, a ceasefire agreement can be reached, and “other territories” can be resolved through diplomatic channels in the later stage.
However, Russian President Putin does not adopt this approach and insists on the policy of “using violence to promote talks”, without any substantial change in position.
On December 6th, Putin even stated that it is possible to deploy the “Hazel Tree” missile system in Belarus in the second half of next year.
Faced with an obviously unfavorable situation, Zelensky’s request for help is equivalent to survival, and of course, he will not miss any opportunity to approach his “thigh”.
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has a history of over 800 years, during which it has undergone multiple damages, destruction, and repairs, and finally can still regain its glory.
Our world is about to enter 2025 with war and trauma. How to put an end to the war, repair the chaos, and respond to changes is worth serious consideration by all mankind…