France Trump and Merz are not planning any trips to Paris
French President Emmanuel Macron's push for a meeting of all G7 states with Denmark and Russia in Paris on Thursday appears to be coming to nothing. This afternoon (local time), US President Donald Trump denied a journalist's question as to whether he would travel to Paris for the meeting as part of his planned visit to Europe. A US government official had previously told the German Press Agency that Trump was not currently planning such a trip.
20.01.2026, 21:12
20.01.2026, 22:17
SDA
Merz travels directly from Davos to Brussels
German government circles also said that Merz was not planning to travel to the French capital on Thursday. After his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he will fly directly from there to the EU summit in Brussels.
On Tuesday morning, Trump published private text messages between himself and Emmanuel Macron on his Truth Social platform, in which the French president proposed a meeting of the G7 states in Paris on Thursday that would include Russia and Denmark. In addition to France, Germany and the USA, the G7 of economically strong democracies also includes Japan, Canada, Italy and the UK. Macron also invited Trump to a dinner in Paris before he flies back to Washington. The Élysée Palace confirmed the authenticity of the news to Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
When asked about the advance for the extended meeting of the G7 states, Trump described Macron as a "friend", but added that Macron "won't be around much longer". He had meetings with people directly involved, the US President added, without elaborating.
Trump had recently emphasized that Macron would "leave office very soon". France will elect a new president in spring 2027. Incumbent Macron is not allowed to run again as the constitution only allows two consecutive terms in office; he has been in office since 2017.
Chancellor hopes for meeting with Trump
France's initiative is to be understood as a reaction to the conflict over the island belonging to Denmark, which Trump wants to buy - something Denmark and its European allies reject. Trump is expected to give a speech at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alpine resort of Davos tomorrow, Wednesday. He wants to meet with heads of state and government as well as managers on the fringes of the event.
Merz is also hoping for a meeting with the President. However, this has not yet been confirmed. The EU special summit in Brussels on Thursday evening will focus on the Greenland conflict.
