Biden looks to restore ties with France ahead of summit

ROME -- US President Joe Biden met with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron here on Friday, seeking to rebuild the two countries' trust eroded by a nuclear-powered submarine deal.

The meeting took place at the French Embassy in the Vatican on the eve of the Group of 20 (G20) Leaders' Summit, marking the first in-person discussion between the two leaders after a diplomatic firestorm was triggered in mid-September, when the United States and Britain said they would support the Australian Navy in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines under a newly formed trilateral security pact known as AUKUS, depriving France of an existing contract to provide 12 conventional submarines to Australia.

Outraged by the abrupt move taken without consultations, France recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia in protest.

"I think what happened was, to use an English phrase, what we did was, clumsy. It was not done with a lot of grace," Biden admitted while claiming that he was under the impression that France had been informed long before that the French deal was not going through.

While recognizing the recent concrete measures taken to rebuild trust between France and the United States, Macron insisted that France's trust needed to be regained by deeds, not words.

Hesitating to confirm if the mistrust has been overcome or the U.S.-France bilateral relationship has been repaired, Macron said "what really matters now is what we will do together in the coming weeks, the coming months, the coming years."

"Trust is like love: Declarations are good, but proof is better," he said.