President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy Photo: Johanna Geron/ Reuters
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is likely to attend the opening ceremony of the restored Notre Dame Cathedral on Wednesday, 7 December. According to Le Monde, French leader Emmanuel Macron and US President-elect Donald Trump will be among the guests.
This will be Donald Trump’s first foreign visit since winning the election. Around forty heads of state and government have confirmed their participation in the event, including the Presidents of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italy Sergio Mattarella, Poland Andrzej Duda, Croatia Zoran Milanovic, Bulgaria Rumen Radev, Estonia Alar Karis, Finland Alexander Stubb and Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda.
Zelenskyy is expected to meet with French President Macron. He may also talk to Donald Trump, who plans to outline the key areas of his foreign policy after his inauguration.
The ceremony will be attended by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. The event has a symbolic meaning, as the completion of the cathedral’s restoration marks the restoration of one of Europe’s most famous shrines, which was damaged by a fire in 2019.
Zelenskyy’s visit to Paris will be an important opportunity to establish a dialogue with European and global leaders amid ongoing challenges for Ukraine.
