Social media users erupted over President-elect Trump's "dominating" handshake with French President Emmanuel Macron at their meeting in Paris Saturday.
Trump traveled to France to attend the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, his first international trip since winning the 2024 presidential election. Ahead of the event, Trump met Macron, and the two shook hands in a gesture that quickly went viral online.
"President Trump is back to dominating world leaders with his handshake," one user, George, wrote in a post on X. "Macron is going to need a hand massage after all that twisting and pulling Trump did to him."
"President Trump manhandles French President Emmanuel Macron with one of the most dominating handshakes I’ve ever seen," said commentator Drew Hernandez. "We are so back."
Colin Rugg wrote, "7 years later and the handshake battle continues between Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron."
During a meeting in 2017, during Trump's first term in office, the two world leaders had a 29-second handshake and appeared to be tugging back and forth as they walked with their wives.
"The Trump-Macron handshake is hilarious," author John Lefevre said in a post on X. "Because it happened twice. And you know Macron was told to prepare and probably practiced and then still got dominated."
Trump's handshakes with world leaders have gone viral over the years, including when he pulled in Russian President Putin's arm during a handshake at the G-20 Summit in 2019.
Trump attended the reopening ceremony alongside political figures, including first lady Jill Biden and Prince William.
President-elect Trump met with world leaders ahead of the reopening ceremony of the Notre Dame Cathedral as he steps back onto the global stage following his election victory.
Trump traveled to France on Saturday to attend the reopening of Notre Dame, the famous cathedral that suffered serious damage during a fire five years ago. The trip marks Trump's first international trip since he was elected to a second, non-consecutive term in office.
Trump's diplomacy was on full display during the trip as he met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Presidential Palace in Paris. The pair was later joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"It's a great honor for French people to welcome you five years later," Macron said of Trump. "And you were, at that time, president for the first time. And I remember the solidarity and your immediate action. So, welcome back again. We are very happy to have you here."
Trump is expected to meet with Prince William, who is attending the event in place of his father, King Charles III, after the ceremony, according to Kensington Palace.
President Biden is not expected to attend the event, however, First Lady Jill Biden will be present.
William was scheduled to meet with the First Lady at the UK residence in Paris, but due to weather, the meeting was canceled, and the two will meet at the ceremony.
Zelenskyy said Article 5 might not apply to all of Ukraine's territory if it joins NATO, to not drag other member states into war.
Viktor Kovalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pushing this week for NATO to invite Ukraine to join its alliance.
He said on Sunday that NATO's self-defense pact wouldn't have to apply to Ukraine's occupied territory.
His proposals come amid anticipation that Trump's incoming team will stall Ukraine's NATO accession.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that his country could join NATO without the alliance's collective self-defense agreement applying to its territory occupied by Russia.
That suggestion means that Article 5, which states that an attack on one member state is an attack on all, wouldn't automatically drag the rest of the alliance into war with Moscow if Ukraine joins.
Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said that any invitation for Ukraine to join NATO still has to recognize all of its territory as Ukrainian, including areas occupied by Russia.
He said his reason was that NATO/the alliance couldn't extend an invitation to only a "part of the territory of Ukraine,"per Ukrainian media.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine "would never accept" an accession plan that says otherwise.
"But we understand that Article 5, when you're a member of NATO, cannot apply to the entire territory of Ukraine during wartime, as countries are against the risks of being drawn into the war," he said.
Such a proposal could essentially split Ukraine into two regions as far as NATO is concerned. The region that includes all of Ukraine's current territory, like Kyiv and Kharkiv, would have to be defended. There would be no obligation for the rest, which is the Ukrainian territory seized by Russia in the east.
Ukraine launched a campaign this week to pressure NATO into extending an invitation to Kyiv, a move the alliance already promised in 2008 would eventually happen. NATO has not provided a specific timeline for when that invitation might be extended.
On Friday, Zelenskyy told Sky News that he would be willing to freeze the front lines if whatever territory Ukraine still holds is placed under the "NATO umbrella."
"If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we should take under the NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control," he said at the time.
This indicates that Ukraine would cede its occupied land, at least temporarily, in exchange for a cease-fire with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
It's a concept that Zelenskyy has adamantly rejected before.
In April, he called a land swap for peace a "very primitive idea."Discussion of such a plan emerged that month because of reports that President-elect Donald Trump was thinking of championing it. He was still running for president at the time.
Now, the Ukrainian president is recalibrating his conditions for NATO membership. This reconsideration comes as US support for Ukraine sits on the cusp of extreme change. His renewed effort to join the alliance comes amid anticipation that Trump and his advisors would pressure Kyiv into negotiating a quick end to the fighting while withholding membership indefinitely.
There are, however, fears that Russia may renege on a cease-fire — as Putin has done several times in the past — or that such a deal could create a split of Ukraine reminiscent of Cold-War Germany.
Many who want an immediate resolution to the fighting in Ukraine hope that it will relieve the economic strain the war has brought to the globe.
Ukraine is a major supplier of corn and wheat, and while a US-led corridor has allowed it to start selling much of its accumulated stock, its exports are estimated to take several years to hit pre-war levels.
Meanwhile, European reliance on Russian energy has led to a complicated situation, where Ukraine is still allowing Russian gas to transit through its borders to Western customers despite the war.
That arrangement, agreed upon in 2019, is set to expire at the end of the year. Both Moscow and Kyiv have said they're not ready to renew the contract, though there is talk from Ukraine of extending it.
Several European countries, including Slovakia and Hungary, expressed concern that their energy markets could be skewered by a nonrenewal, though many are starting to replace their gas by buying from the US and Canada instead. Hungary, in particular, hopes a pipeline through Turkey will help to sustain its supply of Russian gas.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has agreed to appear on Lex Fridman's podcast.
Fridman is a computer scientist and academic who has attracted high-profile guests, including Trump.
Elon Musk touted X's role in arranging the deal.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed on X to record an episode of Lex Fridman's podcast in Ukraine, much to Elon Musk's delight.
Fridman, who hosts the popular "Lex Fridman Podcast," said on X earlier this week that he would "love to do a 3 hour podcast" with Zelenskyy, adding that he would even travel to Kyiv to do it.
Zelenskyy responded on Saturday, writing: "Agreed. See you in Ukraine."
One X user was quick to point out the role the platform played in arranging the deal, saying: "The power of X on full display," to which Musk replied, "True."
"Where else can you just make a request and a leader of a country replies to you directly?" the user added.
Musk has long touted his social media platform as a means of bypassing legacy media outlets and allowing world and company leaders to "speak directly to the people."
President Joe Biden used X to announce his withdrawal from the US presidential race in July, while President-elect Donald Trump has used the site — along with his own platform, Truth Social — to announce his cabinet picks ahead of his inauguration.
Zelenskyy himself is a big social media user, sharing updates on the Russia-Ukraine war and details of meetings with other world leaders on X and Telegram.
Over the last few years, Fridman has gone from a little-known academic researcher to a social media celebrity, winning audiences with some of the world's leading figures, including Trump, Musk, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
His offer to Zelenskyy came after fellow podcaster Joe Rogan, who recorded a three-hour episode with Trump ahead of the US election, said the Ukrainian president had also offered to appear on his show.
"Zelenskyy tried to come on," Rogan said, adding somewhat skeptically: "They tried to get Zelenskyy on, I was like, 'What are you talking about?'"
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President-elect Donald Trump.
AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
In an interview with Sky News published on Friday, Zelenskyy suggested that the "hot phase" of the Russia-Ukraine war could end if unoccupied parts of Ukraine came "under the NATO umbrella."
"That's what we need to do fast. And then Ukraine can get back the other part of its territory diplomatically," he said, stressing that NATO membership would need to be offered to Ukraine's internationally recognized borders.
Zelenskyy has previously rejected the idea of ceding land to end the war.
Global Images Ukraine/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested a way the "hot phase" of the war in Ukraine could end.
It would include unoccupied parts of Ukraine coming "under the NATO umbrella."
Zelenskyy has long rejected the idea of ceding land to end the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested that the "hot phase" of the Russia-Ukraine war could end if unoccupied parts of Ukraine came "under the NATO umbrella."
In an interview with Sky News' chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay published on Friday, Zelenskyy said: "If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we should take under the NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control."
"That's what we need to do fast. And then Ukraine can get back the other part of its territory diplomatically," he said, adding that no such offer had been made.
But Zelenskyy stressed that NATO membership would need to be offered to Ukraine as a whole, within its internationally recognized borders.
"You can't give invitation to just one part of a country," he said. "Why? Because thus you would recognize that Ukraine is only that territory of Ukraine, and the other one is Russia."
He also said any cease-fire would need to guarantee that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not come back to try to take further Ukrainian land, which he said would happen if NATO did not "immediately" cover the parts of Ukraine that would remain under Kyiv's control in the proposed plan.
Zelenskyy has long rejected the idea of ceding land to end the war.
In October, he outlined a victory plan for the war that included a refusal to concede territory to Russia and an invitation to join NATO, which he called "the first and very important point."
Earlier in the year, Zelenskyy also dismissed Donald Trump's reported secret plan to end the war by ceding territory to Russia as "primitive."
"If the deal is that we just give up our territories, and that's the idea behind it, then it's a very primitive idea," Zelenskyy said in an interview with Axel Springer media outlets. "I think if he really has a formula and an approach on how to end the war quickly. I need very strong arguments. I don't need a fantastic idea. I need a real idea because people's lives are at stake."
Some reports have suggested that a "West German model" has been discussed as a means of offering NATO membership to Ukraine.
Such a plan could see NATO membership offered to a divided country.
Civilians wearing military uniforms take part in a military training organized by Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv.
TETIANA DZHAFAROVA/AFP via Getty Images
US wants Ukraine to lower the conscription age to 18 amid a manpower shortage.
Ukraine's military is facing weapons shortages and low morale.
The White House said aid to Ukraine will not be tied to the conscription age.
The US has urged Ukraine to lower its military recruitment age to 18 to help increase the number of soldiers fighting against Russia, according to multiplereports.
The current minimum conscription age is 25, but an anonymous US administration official told reporters on Wednesday that reducing it would help Ukraine keep up with Russia's military.
"The simple truth is that Ukraine is not currently mobilizing or training enough soldiers to replace their battlefield losses while keeping pace with Russia's growing military," the senior official said, according to The Financial Times.
Ukraine appears unwilling to lower the age, however. "Let there be no speculation — our state is not preparing to lower the mobilization age," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told parliament last week.
Zelenskyy's office on Thursday told the FT that the problem was in the supply of Western weapons.
"Ukraine cannot be expected to compensate for delays in logistics or hesitation in support with the youth of our men on the frontline," said Dmytro Lytvyn, the top communications advisor to the Ukrainian president said.
The US approved a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine in April after several delays, but Zelenskyy said last month that 90% of it had not yet reached Ukraine.
Low morale has also been an issue. A unit commander fighting in Pokrovsk told CNN in September that the "majority" of mobilized soldiers were leaving their posts.
"They go to the positions once and if they survive, they never return. They either leave their positions, refuse to go into battle, or try to find a way to leave the army," he said.
Manpower shortages remain a key problem for the Ukrainians, though. "In general, Ukrainian force is still performing rather well on the defense," war analyst Michael Kofman told BI earlier this year. "The challenge is that they are significantly outnumbered."
The White House clarified that US aid to Ukraine will not be dependent on whether the conscription age is lowered.
"We're absolutely going to keep sending Ukraine weapons and equipment. We know that's vital. But so, too, is manpower at this point," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in a statement to AFP.
"In fact, we believe manpower is the most vital need they have. So, we're also ready to ramp up our training capacity if they take appropriate steps to fill out their ranks," said Kirby.
In the months he has left, Biden has been scrambling to push measures to aid the war effort in Ukraine.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier this month that Biden "has committed to making sure that every dollar we have at our disposal will be pushed out the door" before Trump's inauguration in January.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request by BI for comment.
President Biden approved sending anti-personnel mines to Ukraine late Tuesday, a reversal of policy and yet another escalation in the conflict with Russia ahead of President-elect Trump's inauguration.
Ukrainian officials have reportedly promised to only deploy the mines in Ukrainian territory and away from major population centers. The U.S. had previously withheld anti-personnel mines because of their tendency to outlast conflicts once deployed and cause injury to innocents.
The U.S. has reportedly taken precautions to prevent such injuries, however. The mines being delivered to Ukraine operate on an electric fuse that relies on a battery. That battery typically runs out over the course of hours or even weeks, and it is then inoperative, according to CBS News.
The Biden administration's approval came the same day that Ukraine used American-made ATACMs in a strike on Russian soil. Biden had prohibited such uses until last week.
Allies of President-elect Trump have blasted the Biden administration for approving Ukraine's escalation of its conflict with Russia in the final months before Trump takes office.
"The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives," Donald Trump Jr. posted on social media after Biden's long-range missile approval. "Gotta lock in those $Trillions. Life be dammed!!! Imbeciles!"
According to a senior U.S. official, Biden's actions are spurred by the Russian decision to invite 10,000 North Korean soldiers into the fight against Ukraine in Kursk. A second official told Fox News that it is unclear if Biden plans to approve the use of the missiles outside the Kursk region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin reacted by updating Russia's nuclear weapon use doctrines. The White House National Security Council downplayed that reaction.
"As we said earlier this month, we were not surprised by Russia’s announcement that it would update its nuclear doctrine; Russia had been signaling its intent to update its doctrine for several weeks. Observing no changes to Russia’s nuclear posture, we have not seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture or doctrine in response to Russia’s statements today," an NSC spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
"This is more of the same irresponsible rhetoric from Russia, which we have seen for the past two years. As we said to Russia weeks ago, Russia’s use of DPRK soldiers in combat operations against Ukraine presents a significant escalation of its war of choice against Ukraine and we warned that the United States would respond," the statement continued.
The announcement came after Great Britain and France authorized Ukraine to launch SCALP/Storm Shadow missile strikes, according to French outlet Le Figaro.
Putin has previously said that giving Ukraine the green light on missile use would effectively mean that the U.S. and NATO are "in the war."
