Mr Trump arrived in Paris for a ceremony to mark the reopening of Notre-Dame cathedral, destroyed by a fire in 2019, in a return to the world stage at a time leaders are jostling for his attention.
The meeting with Mr Zelensky was brokered and attended by French president Emmanuel Macron, who played a key role in the service at the cathedral amid turmoil in French politics.
Mr Trump has previously pledged to end Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine within 24 hours of his 20 January inauguration, although his officials have floated the idea of forcing Kyiv to cede territory to Russian leader Vladimir Putin to achieve that aim.
On the 35-minute three-way meeting last night, Mr Zelensky described it as “good and productive”, adding: “We all want this war to end as soon as possible and in a just way. We spoke about our people, the situation on the ground, and a just peace.”
He said they had “agreed to continue working together and keep in contact”. Echoing a phrase adopted by Mr Trump’s supporters, he said: “Peace through strength is possible.”
This week, the Ukrainian president sent his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, to the US to meet with Mr Trump’s representatives, as well as the current administration, in a bid to ensure Washington’s continued support.
Prior to Mr Zelensky’s arrival, while Mr Trump and Mr Macron were standing outside the Elysee Palace, the US president-elect hinted at what was on the agenda.
“It certainly seems like the world is going a little crazy right now,” he said. “And we’ll be talking about that.”
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