Zelensky says talks with Trump were 'good and productive', insists on ‘just’ settlement with Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the grand reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Zelensky said that his meeting with the US president-elect as well as the French leader on Saturday (Dec 7) was "good and productive" and that the three agreed to work together.

Macron hosted the significant meeting at the Elysee Palace, bringing together Zelensky and Trump for three-way talks. The discussion centred around the complexities of the current global landscape, which the US-president elect poignantly described as a world that's "a little crazy".

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This was Zelensky's first face-to-face meeting with Trump and also the incoming US president's first-ever international visit since winning the November 5 elections.

"We all want peace. But it is very important for us... that the peace is just for all of us and that Russia, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin or any other aggressor has no possibility of ever returning," Zelensky said according to the presidential website.

"And this is the most important thing -- a just peace and security guarantees, strong security guarantees for Ukraine," he added.

US announces $988 million security assistance package for Ukraine

Soon after Trump, Zelensky, and Macron met, the administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden announced a new $988 million assistance package for Ukraine.

The military aid package includes a range of critical equipment such as drones, precision-guided Himars rocket launcher ammunition, and essential supplies for artillery systems, tanks and armoured vehicles.

"Our job has been to try and put Ukraine in the strongest possible position on the battlefield so that it is in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Saturday.

In the closing weeks of Biden's term, the goal is "a massive surge of assistance and to up the economic pressure on Russia," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)