Submarine dispute: Biden and Macron agree to meet

After a serious crackdown in the submarine dispute, US President Biden and French President Macron are to meet in person in Europe in October. They agreed to a phone call that Biden had asked for.

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed to meet in Europe in October after diplomatic turmoil over a submarine deal with Australia. This stems from a joint communication between the two governments that was circulated by the White House. Macron also decided that the French ambassador should return to Washington next week.

Last week, without consulting his allies, Biden announced an Indo-Pacific security alliance under which Australia would be armed with US-built nuclear-powered submarines. Great Britain is also involved in the arms deal.

Billion dollar deal cracked

The coalition sparked outrage among the government in Paris after the collapse of a billion-dollar deal to build twelve conventional diesel-powered submarines for Australia. According to French diplomats, hours before Biden’s announcement, France was informed that Australia was withdrawing from the contract with the French arms company DCNS. In an unprecedented move, France called back its ambassadors to the US and Australia for consultations. Biden eventually told Macron to call him to settle the differences.

The joint statement said that the President has agreed to initiate a process of in-depth consultations to build trust and propose concrete steps with a view to common goals. The planned meeting is part of it.

France was expected to enter

In the announcement, Biden reiterated that French and European engagement in the Indo-Pacific was strategically important. The United States officially acknowledges that France and Europe will play their part in the balance of power with China. The US – it was said – “recognizes the need for Europe to make a positive contribution to transatlantic and global security with a stronger and more efficient defense and thus complement NATO’s role.”

The joint declaration not only paves the way for pacifying the conflict, but also fuels the debate about European sovereignty. Macron wants to make Europe more independent from his ally America and will pursue this goal during the French EU Council presidency from January.

Before the phone call, the French government’s palace, the Elysee, said Americans were expected to acknowledge that their unilateral action had created a “crisis of trust” between the two allies.

With information from Julia Borutta, ARD-Studio Paris