On Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration was working to facilitate a phone call with Macron’s office but offered no other details at the time.
After the presidents spoke on Wednesday, the White House released a statement saying, “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.”
The statement stopped short of apologizing to France for blindsiding its oldest ally last week after striking a deal to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.
In response to the new agreement, which France called a “knife to the back,” Macron recalled France’s ambassadors to the United States and Australia. France had expected to sell submarines to Australia under a 2016 contract.
The Wednesday statement said Biden and Macron would plan to meet in Europe toward the end of October “to reach shared understandings and maintain momentum in this process.”
Read the full statement below:
President Emmanuel Macron of the French Republic and President Joe Biden of the United States of America spoke on September 22, at the request of the latter, in order to discuss the implications of the announcement on September 15. 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 two leaders have decided to open a process of in-depth consultations, aimed at creating the conditions for ensuring confidence and proposing concrete measures toward common objectives. They will meet in Europe at the end of October in order to reach shared understandings and maintain momentum in this process. President Emmanuel Macron has decided that the French Ambassador will return to Washington next week. He will then start intensive work with senior US officials.
President Biden reaffirms the strategic importance of French and European engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, including in the framework of the European Union’s recently published strategy for the Indo-Pacific. The United States also recognizes the importance of a stronger and more capable European defense that contributes positively to transatlantic and global security and is complementary to NATO.
In the framework of their joint fight against terrorism, the United States commits to reinforcing its support to counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel conducted by European states.
