Submarine Crisis | In Rome, Biden put Macron in court to boost ties with France

Repeated handshakes, smiles, assurances of his “great affection” for France, the “old friend” of the United States, helped their independence …

The American president did not abandon his efforts with his French counterpart who received him at Villa Bonaparte, the French embassy in the Vatican.

He also called his family origins. “Some of our French parents came and told me, Lafayette,” the president said, his full name in the civil service being Joseph Robinet Biden.

Interview, and then the meeting with the delegates lasted for almost an hour and a half.

In conclusion, the French President made it clear to journalists that the strength of their diplomacy lies in the fact that the United States has clearly turned competition with China into a line of action.

Trust is like love, statements are good and testimonies are good, said Emmanuel Macron.

“What we did was clumsy and not very elegant,” Biden told reporters before the diplomatic crisis meeting between the two countries.

He assured Emmanuel Macron in a somewhat surprising statement: “I thought I had informed France (for submarines with Australia) in advance that a deal would not be struck. Before God, I assure you that I do not know that you are not.”

This remorse over the announcement of the American defense partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom has so far been clear, which has taken France by surprise.

“We have made it clear what we need to clarify,” said Emmanuel Macron of the alliance, which sees the United States undermining France’s massive deal for submarines with Australia.

“Looking to the future”

From now on “it must look to the future”, he measured more in his gestures and his tone than the American president.

The future of the specific areas of activity of the French President listed after the meeting in a joint statement.

France and the United States will participate in a “bilateral partnership on clean energy” later this year.

Still, France and the United States want to strengthen their cooperation on space issues, according to a press release.

On a theme especially dear to the French who have been seeking blessings from Washington for years in their efforts to build European defense, “the United States recognizes the importance of a stronger and more active European defense”, and “complements NATO”.

The two heads of state also want to start a “strategic dialogue on military trade”, especially on export powers.

Washington also says it has “handed over additional resources to Sahel to support efforts to fight terrorism led by France and other European states,” which is another French request.

Consolidate alliances

Before the French president, Joe Biden, and Italian head of state Romeo Mario Draghi, some commentators considered him a new strongman in European politics, anxious to consolidate the abused United States’ European alliances under the Trump presidency. .

These meetings come to the fore before the G20 summit in the Italian presidency, which takes place on Saturdays and Sundays, followed by the main COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.

In the absence of the Chinese and Russian presidents, Joe Biden wants to set the tone.

He was also weakened by his difficulties in getting the huge public expense to vote at home and the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, promising that he would lead the great onslaught of democracies against authoritarian regimes that “America is back” to anyone who wanted to hear his word.

He will also have the opportunity on Saturday to finish ranks with his allies across the Atlantic during a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and again Emmanuel Macron.

The four countries, at the initiative of Germany, want Iran to coordinate their positions before resuming talks on nuclear energy.