Biden to Meet Macron After Submarine Deal Caused Public Rift
(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden said he will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in October, seeking to mend ties after a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine deal with Australia that outraged officials in Paris.
Biden held a phone call with the French president on Wednesday, the first time the two leaders spoke since the submarine deal was announced last week. In a joint statement, the two countries said Biden and Macron “agreed that the situation would have benefitted from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners.”
The agreement between the U.S., Australia and the U.K. scuttled a previous $66 billion deal for France to build a diesel-powered sub fleet for Australia. French officials complained they were taken by surprise and cut out of talks on a broader defense alliance between the three English-speaking countries.
While Biden sought to smooth relations, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson told France to get over it. “I just think it’s time for some of our dearest friends around the world to prenez un grip about this and donnez-moi un break,” Johnson told reporters in Washington on Wednesday.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/biden-to-meet-macron-after-submarine-deal-caused-public-rift/ar-AAOIcgs
Sounds like Johnson needs a refresher course in French.
Biden commits to communication with France after submarine spat
President Joe Biden acknowledged Wednesday that his administration should have consulted with the French government before announcing a new trilateral security pact with the United Kingdom and Australia, which saw Australia renege on a multibillion-dollar submarine deal with France.
According to a joint statement released by the White House describing a phone call between Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron — which the statement noted came at Biden’s request — the two leaders “agreed that the situation would have benefitted from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners. President Biden conveyed his ongoing commitment in that regard.”
The statement also announced plans for Biden and Macron to meet in Europe at the end of October, as well as Macron’s decision that French Ambassador to the United States Philippe Étienne would return to his post in Washington next week. The envoy had been recalled on Friday amid the diplomatic row.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/biden-commits-to-communication-with-france-after-submarine-spat/ar-AAOIcoJ
= new reply since forum marked as read
