President Donald Trump, amid heightening tensions back home for possessing Russian connections and all over the world climate change and trade, arrived in Paris at the invitation of France’s President Emmanuel Macron to celebrate Bastille day and the commemorations of the entry 100 years ago of U.S. troops into World War One, Reuters reports.
Both leaders have had a rough start to relations, stemming from President Trump’s withdrawal of the U.S from the Paris climate agreement, but both have incentives to improve ties.
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Trump’s arrival in France in cloud of allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election and collusion of his campaign with the Kremlin. On Tuesday, his son Donald Trump Jr. released emails. Tuesday that indicate his sought Russian help against his father’s Democratic opponent, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
Talks will focus on shared diplomatic and military endeavors, but an Elysee official said Macron would not shy away from sensitive topics. “The meeting won’t avoid subjects on which we have different positions, such as climate and, to a certain extent, trade,” the Macron aide said.
According to Reuters, Macron will receive Trump at the Hotel des Invalides, the grand 17th century complex where Napoleon Bonaparte and other war heroes are buried. They will later dine with their wives at a restaurant on the second floor of Paris’ Eiffel Tower. The Elysee official said the symbolism was clear: “Paris is still Paris.”
This year’s July 14 celebrations come a year after a Tunisian man drove a truck through a crowd celebrating on a seafront promenade in the Riviera city of Nice, killing more than 80 people.
