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PARIS — President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday projected political solidarity on the wars in Ukraine and Israel, amid persistent strain on the international community’s approach to both conflicts.
Macron first thanked Biden for the U.S. playing a “critical role” in helping Ukraine fend off Russia’s invasion. He also expressed support for the peace proposal Biden has outlined for the war in Gaza.
Biden then spoke of the unbreakable bond between America and France and welcomed the news from earlier in the day that four Israeli hostages had been freed. He also touted the $61 billion defense aid package for Ukraine that Congress passed after months of wrangling and reaffirmed America’s commitment to the war effort.
“You know Putin’s not going to stop at Ukraine. All of Europe will be threatened. The United States is not going to let that happen … we will not walk away,” said Biden.
The press statements came after a private meeting between the two and were a capstone to two days of largely ceremonial affairs for Biden.
“This week, we have shown the world once again the power of allies and what we can achieve when we stand together,” the president declared.
But the public show of unity, and the clipped nature of their public comments that avoided delving into the substance of their discussion, masked the significant daylight that exists between the two allies — disagreements that have taken on more urgency as G7 and NATO summits approach in the coming days and weeks.
Previewing Saturday’s meeting, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that the discussions would be both “sensitive” and “intense.” But the leaders did not announce many “deliverables” coming from their direct talks beyond an agreement to work more closely in the Indo-Pacific to build up maritime law enforcement capacity, an initiative national security council spokesperson John Kirby previewed for reporters on a call Friday evening.
Among the main issues at play is how to continue supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion as the war enters its third year. Both Biden and Macron met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris on Friday, eager to demonstrate their ongoing support.
“The United States is going to stand with you,” Biden said to Zelenskyy at the outset of a meeting that lasted roughly 30 minutes. “You are the bulwark against the aggression that is taking place.” He described the West’s backing of Ukraine as “an obligation,” promising Washington’s continued and full support even as he apologized for the six-month delay of a $60 billion package of defense aid that left Ukraine’s military increasingly vulnerable to Russian attacks.
“We’re still in, completely, thoroughly,” Biden said.
But some Zelenskyy aides have grown frustrated with Biden’s cautiousness about a conflict he describes as an existential threat for NATO and democratic countries across the globe. Macron has suggested that allies send troops to Ukraine for training purposes and refuses to rule out, as other allies have, more direct military engagement with Russia in Ukraine at some point.
Macron had hoped to announce around this week’s D-day celebrations that France was going ahead with its plan to send up to several hundred soldiers to Ukraine to train up mine clearance teams and an armed vehicle brigade. But the plan appears to have hit a snag, complicated by threats of retaliation from Russia and the politics of this week’s EU elections. According to several French officials, Macron is still engaged in discussions about leading a coalition of countries that will send trainers to Ukraine. And during a press conference with Zelenskyy Friday evening, he said other NATO countries have already agreed to join a coalition and that he plans to finalize it “in the coming days.”
Biden, meanwhile, is eager to move Macron his way on a plan to leverage $300 billion in seized Russian assets to generate additional aid for Ukraine now. Going into Saturday’s meeting, France remained the lone holdout among G7 allies on a U.S. plan to give Ukraine a $50 billion loan that would be repaid with interest from the seized assets. Biden met last week with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to discuss the practicalities of the plan — the bulk of the seized assets are currently held in Brussels — and the EU has given its initial approval. Aides are optimistic they’ll be able to get Macron on board in time for a formal announcement at next week’s G7 summit in southern Italy.
The leaders did not respond to a shouted question about that apparent impasse, instead walking off stage together after 18 minutes of comments to the press.
Addressing economic frictions will also be a major part of Saturday’s agenda. Macron, staring down an electoral rebuke on Sunday with his party expected to finish second or third in France’s EU elections, needs the U.S. to soften its America-first trade policies that have softened growth across Europe — and left leaders like himself and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz politically vulnerable.
Europe, among allies, has borne the brunt of the economic fallout of the war in Ukraine after agreeing to halt imports of Russian energy and imposing sanctions on the Kremlin. Biden’s subsidies for manufacturing in the U.S., which Macron has criticized, could further harm European industries by diverting business investment.
While few experts expect any further remedy or carve-out for European producers before the end of Biden’s term, Macron hopes that continued talks may eventually bear more fruit — especially after meeting last month with Chinese President Xi Jinping about resolving trade disputes that could allow Beijing greater economic influence in Europe.
Biden, meanwhile, is hoping to convince France and the rest of the EU to join the U.S. in boxing out Beijing from the global marketplace by raising tariffs on Chinese goods.
Macron has been nervous about letting Washington dictate Europe’s approach to Beijing, warning in an interview last year that continental leaders shouldn’t “blindly” follow the U.S. and get dragged into a messy trade war at a time when the economy is shaky and war has returned to European soil.
The two leaders attempted to showcase their alignment when they issued statements to the press following their meetings on Saturday and before the state visit took a more ceremonial turn that evening.
It’s the only state visit invitation that Biden accepted in this reelection year, a sign, aides said, of the president’s affinity for Macron and the importance he places on the U.S.-French relationship.
But even that element of Biden’s visit was the subject of an intense back and forth among aides on both sides, as the White House refused to agree to Macron’s request for a longer, more freewheeling joint press conference, according to two people familiar with the planning and negotiations. Both were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Asked about the lack of a press conference on a state visit between two leaders who prize democracy, Kirby had little to say.
“This was the arrangement that was made,” he said.
