Trump to meet Macron during France trip

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump will hold a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron during his upcoming trip to France this weekend, the White House announced on Wednesday.

Trump will join Macron and other world leaders in the ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War on Nov 11, according to a White House statement.

He will have a meeting with his French counterpart to discuss topics on European security, bilateral economic ties and the situation in the Middle East, the statement said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will also participate in the Trump's meeting with Macron, State Department spokesperson said in a press release.

The White House also confirmed that the Trump-Macron meeting would be the only bilateral meeting that Trump will hold during his France trip, ruling out the possibility of meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will also attend the commemorating event.

Both the US and Russian officials have previously confirmed that a meeting between the two leaders would be held in Paris on the sidelines of World War I commemoration ceremonies.

But Trump said on Monday that he would "probably not" meet Putin in Paris.

The Kremlin announced earlier on Wednesday that Putin and Trump will meet at a short working lunch in the Elysee Palace, with longer and more comprehensive talks at G20 Summit in Argentina at the end of this month.

Amid the ongoing US sanctions on Russia and Washington's recent stance on the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the relations between Washington and Moscow have been strained recently.