The first one, state dinner after the Coronation was hosted yesterday by the presidential couple of the United States, returning forcefully to a well-established policy of soft power in diplomacy.
At the premiere of the state dinner, the couple Macron were the co-hosts, with a rich menu ranging from the open wounds in US-French relations, the Russian military's "atrocities" in the war in Ukraine, the West's strategy towards China and clean energy.
Besides, in their first official visit to the other side of the Atlantic under President Biden, the Macrons put all the current global challenges at the centre of their attention, especially when the dinner took place a few hours after the NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Bucharest, whose agenda was almost monopolized by the outcome of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the coming - winter - months.
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Durable front
Ahead of a difficult operational and climatic winter for Kiev, yesterday's meeting of the two leaders reaffirmed both leaders' "as long as it takes" support for Ukraine, formally establishing a joint enduring front against the ongoing war in the northern hemisphere. At the same time, however, the two leaders' common pursuit of an immediate end to the war runs up against the different attitudes of Washington and Paris towards the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, who is the part of the Ukrainian problem. During the joint press conference between the two leaders, US President Joe Biden replied that "I am ready, if he is willing to talk, to find out what he is willing to do, but I will do it only in consultation with my NATO allies. I am not going to do it alone" on the possibility of a meeting with the Kremlin strongman, with Emmanuel Macron taking a different stance. In particular, the French president has indicated that he is willing to meet his Russian counterpart once Ukraine sets its terms for a peace deal, but having earlier told the ABC network that he does not intend to speak with the Russian president in the coming days. Instead, he argued, on the same network, that the Russian president made a "huge mistake" by invading Ukraine, but that negotiations are still "possible", as he pointed out.
In any case, the French President appreciated as "very important, not only for the Ukrainians" the firm US support for Kiev, as "if we think that we can abandon the country and abandon full respect for these principles, it means that there is no possible stability in this world," he commented.
Going a step further, following what the Commission President also said on the establishment of a special tribunal for crimes in Ukraine, the two leaders reiterated "their firm determination to hold Russia accountable for widely documented atrocities and war crimes committed by both its regular armed forces and their allies, including mercenaries," according to the joint communiqué. In the same document, the two presidents "reaffirm their countries' continued support for Ukraine", while pledging in particular to provide it with "political, security, humanitarian and financial assistance for as long as necessary".
AUKUS and inflation
In a cordial atmosphere, which the US President cultivated from the first minutes, describing the French as "our strongest partners and most capable allies" and calling Emmanuel Macron "a friend", Joe Biden made it clear that "we can work with you anew". "The fact that you are returning to international challenges like health and climate - it's really a new deal," the French President retorted and while their bilateral relations have not been unbreakable lately. However, President Macron referred to the shared values of the US and France as "sisters in the fight for freedom," calling on the two countries to "become brothers in arms once again" amid Russia's war in Ukraine.
The "brotherly" phase in relations between the two countries marks a turning of the page after the trilateral cooperation pact (US, M.Britain, Australia), known as AUKUS, which led to the cancellation of Australia's order for French submarines, with Elise then recalling its ambassador in Washington as a countermeasure, as France lost tens of billions from the negative outcome of the agreement.
Following AUKUS, a rift between the two countries was also caused by US legislation passed this year to reduce inflation, as the US is investing billions of dollars in subsidies for electric vehicles, a predominantly protectionist measure according to the French president, with his US counterpart acknowledging that there were "some glitches", leaving open the possibility of corrections to the legislation. "We will continue to create manufacturing jobs in America, but not at the expense of Europe," Joe Biden made clear, attempting to close this American-French wound as well.
In a nearly three-hour meeting, "things are changing quickly, very quickly. And it's very important that we stay in close communication. It doesn't mean that we agree on all the lonely things. It means we agree on almost everything," the U.S. president observed, with his French counterpart prefacing their private discussion with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a "sustainable peace" there, which would involve respect for sovereign nations. "We want to build peace and a sustainable peace means full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, but at the same time a new architecture to ensure that we have a sustainable peace in the long term," Emmanuel Macron said, having earlier jointly condemned with his US counterpart Russia's "atrocities" in Ukraine.
Without any particular surprises, the two sides finally used the meeting to deepen cooperation between them, which, however, presupposes that both will not henceforth act in terms of harsh competition. This is supported by "a shared vision for enhancing security and prosperity worldwide, combating climate change, strengthening resilience to its effects and promoting democratic values", on which both sides are working.
China and Iran
The two leaders also spent considerable time on their Indo-Pacific strategy, pledging to "continue to coordinate on our concerns about China's challenge to the rules-based international order, including respect for human rights, and to work with China on important global issues such as climate change," closely monitoring Beijing's initiatives.
On Iran, Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron expressed their "respect" for Iranians who are "vigorously demonstrating" for their "fundamental freedoms," the joint statement said. The two presidents hailed "women and young people" who are protesting the violation of their rights and freedoms, "to which Iran has made a signed commitment and which it violates," according to their joint statement.
In addition, the two sides reaffirmed their common goal of accelerating the global transition to green energy by "synchronizing" their approaches in this dynamic sector.
Source: Proto Thema
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
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