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

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.
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.

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.