US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macho have discussed strengthening Europe’s defenses. The two leaders reached a consensus on the issue in a phone call on Friday. A statement from the White House said,
The statement added that bilateral relations between Washington and Paris have cooled in recent times over the submarine deal. In this situation, the United States is interested in strengthening the friendly relations between the two countries.
Biden and Macho are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting later this month in the Italian capital, Rome. The two leaders spoke on the phone ahead of the meeting. The White House said in a statement that the United States and France have a number of areas to strengthen and maintain common interests.
A statement from the French president’s office said the same thing. Biden and Makhon last spoke on the phone on September 22. It was the first phone conversation between the two leaders since the cancellation of the French submarine deal with Australia due to the United States.
The United States, Britain and Australia have recently announced a security agreement to deal with China. Under the agreement, the United States and Britain will provide technical assistance to Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines. With this agreement, the tension of France started with Australia and the United States.
Australia signed an agreement with France in 2016 to get 12 submarines. The submarines were to be purchased from Naval Group, a French shipbuilder. Australia has canceled the deal due to the suddenness. France has suffered economically.
Makho brought the ambassador back to the country from Washington due to the strained relations. “The Biden administration is following in the footsteps of its predecessor, Donald Trump,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. Joe Biden is behaving like Trump. “This is the first time in the history of US-French relations that ambassadors have been summoned. This is a serious political move. The crisis between the two countries is clear from this.
The European allies of the United States saw a glimmer of hope in Biden’s arrival after Trump’s four-year turbulent relationship. But the first year of the Biden administration has created an unprecedented crisis in bilateral relations with France. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited France earlier this month to try to resolve the crisis. During the visit, he also met with Makho.
This time, US Vice President Kamala Harris is going to Paris to develop relations. The White House said in a statement that the visit could take place next month. The statement further said that Kamala will have a meeting with Harris Makhon during his visit to Paris. The two leaders will also discuss the Corona epidemic, climate change, global peace and security, as well as the importance of trans-Atlantic relations.
