EVIAN – French President Emmanuel Macron revealed he had a “difficult” meeting with President Trump on Monday evening.
The tension in their one-on-one meeting is reflective of the strained relationship Trump has with Macron and other European leaders, who remain frustrated that the American president started a war with Iran, has threatened to annex Greenland, and expressed sympathy for Russia in its war with Ukraine.
“Yesterday we had a difficult discussion with President Trump,” Macron told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when he greeted him at the G7.
The two leaders were caught on a hot mic, discussing the best way to handle Trump ahead of a leaders’ meeting on Ukraine. Trump has been critical of Zelensky and has blamed Ukraine for the start of the war.
Speaking in English as they walked the grounds of Hotel Royal, Macron encouraged Zelensky to stay at the G7 summit longer than Tuesday but Zelensky said he was expected in Brussels, presumably about Ukraine’s membership application to the EU.
Macron asked him if he had arranged a bilateral meeting with President Trump and Zelensky appeared to say no. The Ukrainian president added that he had asked for one when he spoke to Trump on Sunday.
“Okay I will arrange that,” Macron told him.
The French president has been trying to play middle man between Trump and Zelensky, as European leaders want the American president to be more sympathetic to a peace deal on Ukraine’s terms – not Russia’s.
But it’s unclear if a sitdown between the leaders will occur, particularly after the French complained Trump was being “not so nice.”
“Trump is being his usual self, nice sometimes and not so nice sometimes,” an EU official told NBC News.
White House officials, in a briefing call before the G7 summit began, said Trump would not hold a solo meeting with Zelensky but didn’t rule out a conversation on the sidelines.
Trump arrived at Tuesday morning’s Ukraine meeting 50 minutes late, walking into the conference room ahead of Macron and Zelensky, who had been meeting privately.
The French said Trump did not join that private meeting.
It’s unclear if Trump greeted the two men before they walked into the leaders’ meeting.
Trump notably didn’t speak to Zelensky in the conference room. The president shook hands with fellow G7 leaders and then took his seat at the table, sitting solo as the other leaders warmly greeted Zelensky.
