Wooing France: Kamala Harris meets Emmanuel Macron after Aukus submarine row

The two sides say their countries are ready to work together again, after drama over a deal with Australia put diplomatic relations at a historic low

Biden had earlier told his French counterpart that the US had been ‘clumsy’ in handling the issue, though he did not formally apologise

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French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes US Vice-President Kamala Harris before their meeting at the Elysee Palace on Wednesday. Photo: Le Pictorium Agency via DPA

Published: 4:39am, 11 Nov 2021Updated: 4:39am, 11 Nov 2021

Kamala Harris and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on Wednesday that their countries are ready to work together again, after a diplomatic drama surrounding a submarine deal that put the relationship at a historic low.

The US vice-president met Macron on Wednesday evening at the Elysee presidential palace, as part of a weeks-long effort by Washington to mend relations with France, America’s oldest ally.

Harris’ four-day trip to Paris comes after President Joe Biden told Macron the US had been “clumsy” in handling the submarine issue, during a meeting in Rome, Italy on October 29.

Biden did not formally apologise to Macron, but conceded the US should not have caught its oldest ally by surprise. The secretly negotiated US-British submarine deal with Australia led to a prior deal with France being scrapped.

US Vice-President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, tour Suresnes American Cemetery in Suresnes, France on Wednesday. Photo: The New York Times via AP

Macron on Wednesday said he had had “a very fruitful meeting” with Biden. “We do share the view that we are at the beginning of a new era and our cooperation is absolutely critical for this one,” he said.