The morning saw Trump and Zelensky arriving in Paris for Notre-Dame's reopening, while von der Leyen canceled her attendance amid Mercosur agreement tensions. French farmers protested the EU-Mercosur deal, which the Élysée declared "unacceptable."
By afternoon, forty heads of state gathered at Notre-Dame. Macron orchestrated a trilateral meeting with Trump and Zelensky at the Élysée before the ceremony. The Pope called for maintaining free public access to the cathedral.
While Paris celebrated Notre-Dame's renaissance, French media coverage increasingly focused on Syria, where rebels claimed to have entered Homs and approached Damascus. The Syrian Defense Ministry denied these claims, though Assad's absence from public view generated speculation. The contrast between Notre-Dame's ceremonial reopening and Damascus's potential fall dominated evening coverage.