Biden addresses Macron: We acted clumsily in the submarine agreement

According to Fars News Agency’s International Group, US President Joe Biden said on Friday during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron that Washington had acted “clumsily” in coordinating the submarine agreement with Australia.

According to France 24, Biden and Macron shook hands in this meeting and walked side by side in the first meeting after the controversial submarine agreement with Australia. The meeting was one of the latest US efforts to reduce tensions with France. Although Biden did not formally apologize to Macron for the deal, he acknowledged that the United States should not have surprised its longtime ally.

“I think what happened was a clumsy move and the submarine contract was not done very delicately,” he said.

“I thought France knew about it long ago,” Biden claimed.

The contract for the supply of Australian submarines by the United States has replaced the agreement that France had previously signed with Australia. The United States says the move will equip Australia, an ally of the United States, with higher-quality nuclear submarines that will enable it to counter China.

The failure to properly manage the sale of nuclear submarines to Australia was reportedly so bad that France, a longtime ally of Washington, became angry and accused US officials of lying and temporarily recalling its ambassador to Washington.

Macron also said that Paris and Washington would work together more strongly to prevent a similar misunderstanding from recurring.

“What really matters now is what we will do in the coming weeks, months and years,” he said.

Other issues discussed during the Macron-Biden meeting included China, Afghanistan and Iran.

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