Politico captures Zelenskyy and Macron discussing how to engage with Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed plans for engaging with US President Donald Trump upon Zelenskyy's arrival at the G7 summit, according to a conversation inadvertently captured by a camera's microphone.
Source: European Pravda, citing Politico, a Brussels-based politics and policy news organisation
Details: After Macron, who is hosting the G7 summit, welcomed Zelenskyy in Évian on the morning of Tuesday 16 June, a nearby microphone recorded part of their conversation. During the exchange, the French president asked whether Zelenskyy had arranged a bilateral meeting with Trump.
Zelenskyy's reply was inaudible, after which Macron said that he would arrange a meeting between the US and Ukrainian presidents.
The French leader also encouraged Zelenskyy to remain in France for a longer stay. Trump is scheduled to remain in the country until the evening of Wednesday 17 June to attend a dinner at the Palace of Versailles hosted by Macron to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence.
In response, Zelenskyy said that he needed to travel to Brussels on 18 June to attend the European Council meeting, where Ukraine's EU accession would be discussed.
The two leaders also discussed a G7 session dedicated to Ukraine, which included Trump.
The recorded conversation did not reveal any sensitive information but offered another example of how European leaders carefully coordinate their contact with Trump, particularly on issues relating to Ukraine.
Following Trump's early departure from last year's G7 summit in Canada due to tensions between Iran and Israel, Macron has reportedly faced pressure to keep the US president engaged and prevent another premature exit.
To that end, the French president invited Trump to a dinner at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday evening as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of US independence.
Background:
- Trump confirmed that he met with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France and said they will meet again later on 16 June.
- Zelenskyy later said that during the meeting with Trump, the two discussed the possibility of Ukraine obtaining a licence to produce anti-ballistic systems and missiles.
- Earlier, The Kyiv Independent reported that Zelenskyy, Trump and Macron held a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit on 16 June.
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