Christian Smith
PARIS (AP) — President Joe Biden is being feted by French President Emmanuel Macron with a state visit Saturday as the two allies aim to showcase their partnership on global security issues and overcome trade tensions.
Biden and Macron attended ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Thursday and met separately the next day with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris. The leaders used both commitments to underscore the urgent need to support Kiev’s fight against Russia’s invasion.
But Macron and Biden have frequently bristled at the pace of support for Ukraine, especially as the United States, by far the biggest contributor to Kiev’s defense, was forced to suspend aid shipments for months while congressional Republicans held up a assistance package.
The state visit began with a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, including a wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in France, and a military parade along the Champs-Elysées to the Élysée Palace, where the two held official meetings and delivered public statements. Later, there is a state dinner at the palace for Biden and his wife, Jill.
“Proud to be here,” said Biden at the Arc de Triomphe. “A great honor.”
Biden hosted Macron in December 2022 at the White House for the first state visit of his presidency as the COVID-19 pandemic eased.
Jill Biden flew back to Paris aboard a U.S. government plane after spending Friday in Delaware to support her son, Hunter Biden, who is on trial on federal gun charges.
As the president’s trip comes to an end, the far right is expected to emerge as one of the biggest winners in Sunday’s European Parliament elections, while Macron’s pro-European Union movement is weakening.
A senior French official said that Macron and Biden have a friendly and warm relationship and stressed that the US president will spend five days in France, reflecting the importance he attaches to the visit. The official spoke anonymously, in line with Macron’s office’s usual practices.
The official said the U.S. presidential campaign was not a factor in the discussion.
Macron hosted then-President Donald Trump, this year’s presumptive Republican nominee, for Bastille Day in 2017, and came to Washington for a state visit in 2018 before their relationship soured.
U.S. and French officials said Ukraine would be high on Saturday’s agenda, but the centerpiece of the weekend’s event would be the strength of the alliance, fortified in Normandy 80 years ago but with much deeper roots.
“It’s probably good to remember that we didn’t gain our independence without some foreign aid or foreign assistance, specifically from France,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Friday.
Max Bergmann, a former U.S. State Department official who leads Europe research at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the U.S.-France relationship is strong despite occasional disagreements.
“There is always tension in Franco-American relations because the French try to do things,” he said. “They are bold, they present proposals and this creates some friction when we back down.”
For example, he said, France has proposed putting Western trainers on the ground in Ukraine, which raises questions about whether this is “actually giving Ukraine an important and tangible benefit” or has “the potential to be escalatory and dangerous.”
About Macron, said Bergmann, “he is the one who pushes the limits and launches ideas.”
Kirby said the two leaders would make an announcement on Saturday about deepening maritime law enforcement cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. They should also discuss economic and climate challenges.
While praising the Biden administration’s commitment to supporting Ukraine, Macron said earlier this year that Europe must become “capable of defending its interests, with our allies at our side whenever they want, and alone if necessary.” arguing that the continent should depend less on the US for its own defense.
He also warned Western powers against showing any signs of weakness to Russia, while repeatedly saying that sending Western troops to Ukraine to bolster its defense should not be ruled out.
The leaders were also expected to discuss their efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, as the U.S. and Israel await Hamas’ response to a ceasefire proposal promoted by Biden that would allow a wave of humanitarian aid. assistance in the territory.
Macron is expected to raise U.S. trade practices he has frequently criticized, including the Inflation Reduction Act, which favors U.S.-made climate technology such as electric vehicles. Macron said the US, like China, “has decided not to respect the rules of global trade”, strengthening protections and subsidies while European industry remains open and trapped by excessive regulation.
The French official said Europe has to defend European interests, after seeing the US do the same with its own, but said Macron hopes to find a mutually acceptable result.
When the pair met outside the palace, Biden appeared to suggest to his host that the U.S. and Europe could “coordinate,” and he was heard telling Macron about his most recent conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who opposed to strong pressure from the USA. tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
Gary Hufbauer, a nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said trade with China is a point of contention between the U.S. and Europe, especially France. The US has been more eager to restrict trade, especially when it comes to technology.
Biden is also moving toward tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and batteries, which could affect European cars that include Chinese parts.
Overall, Hufbauer said, “Europe wants to have much more trade with China than the U.S. wants.”
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