▲ U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding on Ending Hostilities
The French daily Le Parisien reported on the behind-the-scenes story of President Trump’s signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Palace of Versailles, which took place on June 18 (local time).
According to French diplomatic sources, when President Trump arrived at the Palace of Versailles on the outskirts of Paris from Evian, where the G7 summit was being held, on the night of June 17, his aides informed him that the agreement to end hostilities with Iran had been finalized.
President Trump decided to sign the agreement on the spot and informed French President Emmanuel Macron of this fact while touring the Hall of Mirrors, the most opulent room in the palace.
The problem was that the agreement needed to be printed to be signed.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio requested a printer from his counterpart, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, shortly after 11:00 p.m.
A staff member was immediately mobilized, and a few minutes later, Secretary Rubio appeared in the banquet hall with the document in hand.
Before President Trump and President Macron could even review the document together, the plates set on the table were cleared away, and the documents, freshly printed in English and Persian, were placed in their stead.
President Trump picked up a pen and told the approximately 30 people watching the scene, "It was never easy, I guarantee you."
President Macron watched the scene with a smile, and the attendees seated around them pulled out their mobile phones to record the historic moment.
The ministers seated at the presidential table were also taken by surprise by the unexpected situation.
Roland Lescure, the French Minister of Economy, expressed his astonishment on RTL radio that day, stating, "It was an unexpected event even for us, the ministers of the French government."
For the French government, which was not even certain until just a week ago whether President Trump would attend the summit in Evian, it was a hard-to-believe scene.
President Trump not only attended the G7 summit hosted by France and stayed for all three days, but he also accepted the invitation to the banquet at the Palace of Versailles, which President Macron had arranged to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence.
A French diplomatic source assessed President Trump's signing of the MOU at the Palace of Versailles as the "crowning achievement" and a "sign of trust and respect" for the French president.
President Macron has already described the G7 summit he hosted as a "tremendous success."
European nations are credited with successfully bringing President Trump into the camp of unconditional support for Ukraine, and reaching an agreement on sanctions against Russian oil and gas, which the U.S. had suspended for the past few months.
Regarding Middle East issues, President Trump also publicly mentioned several times that Israel's conduct regarding the Lebanon issue, which President Macron was particularly concerned about, had been insufficient.
Regarding these results, an aide to President Macron expressed confidence, saying, "This G7 summit is a great success. It is the best achievement since the 2019 Biarritz summit," adding, "If I am wrong, let someone prove it."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.