Defiant French journalists make sure AP Paris reporter asks first query at Trump and Macron press convention | EUROtoday

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French journalists protecting Monday’s assembly between Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron pushed to have a Paris-based Associated Press reporter ask the primary query at a press convention, defying the White House’s choice to close the AP out of official occasions.

Earlier this month, the White House started denying the AP’s entry to Trump and different officers at Air Force One, the White House briefing room, and different occasions as a result of it hasn’t complied with the Trump administration’s unilateral renaming of the Gulf of Mexico because the Gulf of America, with the AP’s influential stylebook noting the administration’s insurance policies aren’t acknowledged internationally.

The Trump administration ban prompted the AP to sue Trump officers final week, citing a violation of the First Amendment.

A federal choose on Monday refused to right away order the White House to revive the wire service’s entry, although arguments will proceed within the case.

At the press convention, the Associated Press reporter requested each leaders about ongoing negotiations to finish the conflict in Ukraine.

Macron advised reporters the peace course of might embody elevated European protection spending and a peacekeeping power in Ukraine.

“We have committed to building a lasting peace as Europeans, we have committed to being stakeholders in these security guarantees, and we are also well aware that Europeans need to do more for security in Europe, for defense in Europe,” he stated.

Trump, in the meantime, stated Russian President Vladimir Putin had “no problem” with such a power, and added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky might go to the White House as quickly as this week to cement a deal giving U.S. entry to Ukrainian uncommon minerals as reimbursement for protection help.

“He may come in this week or next week to sign the agreement … which would be nice, I’d love to meet him,” Trump stated.

It was a far cry from final week, when Trump referred to as Zelensky a dictator and falsely accused him of beginning the conflict with Russia, which the truth is started with Russia invading in 2022 after a decade of slow-burning help for separatist teams in Ukraine’s japanese territories.

While Macron was in Washington, he and Trump joined in a name with G7 leaders round ending the conflict, which Macron stated had been “perfect.”

The French chief advised The Independent that Trump had been “very friendly, as always,” regardless of the president not greeting him upon arrival.

U.S. allies in Europe have been alarmed because the Trump administration has tried to barter the tip of the conflict straight with Russia with out enter from Ukraine, whereas echoing lots of the Kremlin’s key messages in regards to the long-running battle.