French President Emmanuel Macron will send the country’s ambassador to Washington next week. The news was made public by French and American officials after the two countries sought to restore relations after a secret arms deal led to a diplomatic breakdown.
In a joint statement, a sign of easing tensions, Biden and Macron said they had spoken on the phone Wednesday and agreed to meet in person in late October. Both are scheduled to attend the Group 20 summit in Rome.
Macron withdrew Ambassador Philippe Etienne in Paris days after the announcement that the United States had formed an alliance with Australia and the United Kingdom and that this would allow Australia to purchase US submarine nuclear technology. That deal actually canceled an agreement under which Australia was set to buy less capable French ships and sparked public outrage from French officials.
A joint statement from both countries after Wednesday’s phone call expressed regret from the White House for the way the event unfolded.
“Both leaders agreed that the situation would have benefited from open consultations between the Allies on issues of strategic interest to France and our European partners,” the statement said.
The White House has said Biden requested a conversation to ease tensions caused by the announcement a week ago of the deal with Australia and the UK
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