U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke via phone on Friday to continue their efforts to resolve French-American differences following the Australian submarine crisis. The White House confirmed that Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Paris soon. The two leaders discussed the "necessary efforts to strengthen European defense capabilities while ensuring integration with NATO," according to a statement from the U.S. presidency. Macron has prioritized the establishment of a real European defense force in the last six months of his term.
Among other topics, the leaders addressed the situation in the Sahel region and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, according to the White House. France wishes to "enhance U.S. support for European-led counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel region," as stated by a French diplomatic source to AFP in early October during U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Paris.
### Warming Relations
This phone call on Friday comes ahead of a meeting between Biden and Macron during the G20 summit in Rome at the end of October, followed by Vice President Kamala Harris's visit to Paris, which was confirmed by the White House and the Élysée. Biden tweeted that he valued his conversation with Macron and looked forward to meeting him in the Italian capital to assess the "many areas of cooperation" between the two countries.
The White House announced on Friday that Harris will visit Paris on November 11 and 12, where she will meet with the French president. The U.S. presidency clarified that Harris and Macron "will discuss the importance of the transatlantic relationship for global peace and security and emphasize the significance of our partnership in addressing the challenges facing the planet, such as COVID-19, the climate crisis, and issues in the Sahel region and the Indo-Pacific."
The call between the leaders and Harris's visit are part of a process to warm relations between Paris and Washington following the crisis that arose from the announcement on September 15 of a new defense alliance between the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. This partnership, dubbed "AUKUS," angered France as it undermined a massive contract linking it with Australia for submarine supplies.
The last communication between the two presidents occurred on September 22, and it was the first since the diplomatic crisis erupted over Australia's cancellation of the French submarine deal following the announcement of the new partnership involving U.S. provision of nuclear-powered submarines to Canberra.
In light of this crisis, Macron recalled the French ambassador to Washington, and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian compared Biden's unilateral approach to that of former U.S. President Donald Trump, "but without the tweets." Despite not offering an apology for his secret negotiations to sell nuclear submarines to Australia, Biden acknowledged that the crisis could have been avoided through "open consultations among allies."
Since then, U.S. officials have been striving to restore relations with France, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken visiting Paris earlier this month and holding a bilateral meeting with Macron. Regarding the conversation held in September, Macron remarked that he sensed a significant commitment from Biden to respect France's efforts to enhance European defense.
