President Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron stressed Saturday how much they agree on global politics, including the war in Ukraine, even though their countries have expressed sharply different views on the fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
After two days of D-Day commemoration, the two presidents briefly appeared together before reporters, declining to answer questions and masking their clear differences over the Middle East. Instead, both emphasized the continued strength of the US-French partnership in the areas of climate, economics, European security and cultural relations.
“Today I proudly stand with France to support freedom and democracy around the world,” Mr. Biden said as the two men emerged from a closed-door meeting at the Élysée Palace.
“We agree that this war is raging in Ukraine,” Macron noted, adding that he hopes “all members of the G7 will agree to a $50 billion solidarity fund for Ukraine,” referring to the Group of 7 industrialized nations.
The French president’s comments suggested that the two leaders had agreed on a plan to use proceeds from frozen Russian assets to provide Ukraine with an upfront loan of up to $50 billion. American officials had said at the start of the meeting that France was the main objector to such a plan and that they hoped to win support during the Paris visit.
On Gaza, Mr. Macron noted his government’s support for an Israeli ceasefire proposal, which Mr. Biden has strongly supported. But the French president also directly called on Israel to do more to provide aid to Palestinians suffering from government bombing.
“It is unacceptable that Israel does not open all checkpoints for humanitarian aid, as the united international community has been demanding for months,” Macron said. He said Israeli operations in Gaza should “stop.”
France has supported the International Criminal Court’s decision to seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza. In contrast, Mr Biden has condemned this attempt, calling it an unreasonable comparison of the two leaders. France also voted at the United Nations in May to admit Palestine to the organization as a full member, which the United States rejects.
Neither Mr. Biden nor Mr. Macron mentioned any disagreements over the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In a departure from usual practice when American presidents meet with foreign leaders, reporters from France and the United States were not allowed to ask questions after Saturday’s statements, which lasted a combined 16 minutes. In most cases, the two leaders allow reporters from each country to ask at least two questions.
John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, declined Saturday to explain why that was not the case.
“That was the agreement that was reached,” he told reporters earlier this week. “As you know, at every bilateral meeting or in this case a state visit, everything is agreed between the two sides. And in our discussions and in planning this visit, it was decided that they would do just that: that they would come out and make statements to the press.”
Mr. Macron’s warm embrace of Mr. Biden despite tensions in the relationship stood in sharp contrast to the mood of President Donald J. Trump’s visit in November 2018. Just minutes before Air Force One landed in Paris at the time, Mr. Trump released a statement Message online accused Mr Macron of being “very offensive”. Mr. Macron then gave a speech attacking nationalism just weeks after Mr. Trump declared himself an American nationalist.
In contrast, Mr. Macron on Saturday praised Mr. Biden as “a partner who respects Europeans,” a statement that sounded like a distinction from Mr. Trump, who often denigrated European leaders. “Thank you for standing with Europe,” Mr Macron said.
“You have become a good friend,” Mr. Biden responded.
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2024-06-08 16:38:21
www.nytimes.com
