Exclusive-Macron seeks to draw Trump to G7 with post-summit invite to Versailles

By Gabriel Stargardter

PARIS, April 10 (Reuters) - ‌French President Emmanuel ​Macron has ​invited U.S. President Donald Trump to a sumptuous dinner at the ornate Palace of Versailles the day after a G7 summit in mid-June, although it remains ‌unclear if Trump will attend either event, sources said.

France is the host ⁠of this year's G7, with a leaders' summit in the lakeside resort of Evian-les-Bains at the foot of the ‌French Alps scheduled for June ‌15-17 - dates that Macron has already moved to accommodate a mixed martial arts event Trump is hosting at the White House on his 80th birthday on June 14.

Trump's relationship with ​many G7 members has grown increasingly strained over his war with Iran among other issues, notably in openly scathing comments regarding British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's early March offer ⁠of military support. He has also repeatedly lambasted NATO, of which all G7 members except Japan are part of, over ​its response to the conflict.

The sources said it was not yet clear if Trump would be at Evian-les-Bains let alone Versailles, to which they ​said none of the other G7 leaders have been ‌invited.

A Trump no-show would be a major embarrassment for Macron and would cast a long shadow over the G7 at a time the U.S. ⁠administration is openly sceptical over the value of such multilateral get-togethers.

Macron's invitation to Trump is for a pomp-filled event at Versailles, a gilded 17th-century palace built outside Paris by Louis XIV, that would capitalise ⁠on the two nations' shared history ahead of the United States' 250th anniversary celebrations on July 4, two ​sources said.

A senior White House official confirmed the invitation, saying, "(Macron) really wants him (Trump) to go, begging him to go." But the official added that Trump has yet to even decide on attending the G7.

Macron's office ‌declined to comment on the Versailles invitation.

A French official familiar with the planning, which is still at an early stage, said Macron might host ‌Trump for a bilateral visit around the G7 summit, as he might any of the invited ⁠leaders.

"The format of this reception is not ‌finalised. The visit remains to ​be confirmed," the official said.

(Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter in Paris; Additional reporting by Elizabeth Pineau in Paris, Gram Slattery and Steve Holland in Washington; Editing by ‌Richard Lough)

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