Biden and Macron meet in Rome to discuss submarine dispute

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron in Rome on Friday. They want to settle the dispute over the submarine deal with Australia.

The conversation will take place the day before the start of the G-20 summit, Biden’s national security advisor Jake Sullivan announced on Tuesday. Biden will also meet Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Friday and receive Pope Francis.

The USA, Great Britain and Australia announced an Indo-Pacific alliance called Aukus in mid-September. The goal is to build nuclear submarines for Australia.

The fact that Australia then abandoned a long-planned multibillion-dollar submarine deal with France prompted angry reactions from the French government. Meanwhile, Paris withdrew even its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra. The European Union and EU countries such as Germany also responded by criticizing the US government’s approach.

Biden and Macron have called each other twice in the past few weeks, while the US president has tried to calm things down. The two heads of state agreed, among other things, to “in-depth consultations” between the two countries and hold a meeting at the end of October. Biden also recognized the “importance” of a stronger European defense system – a critical concern for France.

Biden travels to Italy on Thursday. He will attend the G20 summit in Rome on Saturday and Sunday before heading to Glasgow, Scotland, for the COP26 climate conference.