PARIS (AP) — President Joe Biden will be honored by French President Emmanuel Macron with a state visit on Saturday as the two allies look to show off their partnership on global security issues and overcome trade tensions.
Biden and Macron attended ceremonies on Thursday to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The next day, they met separately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris – appointments they both made to underline the urgent need to support Kiev’s fight against the Russian invasion.
But Macron and Biden have often chafed at the pace of aid to Ukraine, especially as the US – by far the biggest contributor to Kiev’s defense – was forced to suspend aid shipments for months while Republicans in Congress held up an aid package .
The state visit will begin with a welcome ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe and a military parade along the Champs-Élysées leading to the Élysée Palace, where the two will hold official meetings and make public statements. Later, Macron will host a state dinner at the palace for Biden and his wife Jill.
Biden hosted Macron at the White House in December 2022 for the first state visit of his presidency — a glamorous affair involving business and political figures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
First lady Jill Biden will join her husband for Saturday’s events, returning to France aboard a government plane after spending Friday in Delaware to support their son, Hunter Biden, who is on trial on federal weapons charges.
Biden’s trip to France also comes ahead of Sunday’s European Parliament elections, in which the far right is likely to emerge as one of the biggest winners, while Macron’s pro-EU movement is weakening.
A top French official said Macron and Biden have a friendly and warm relationship and emphasized that the US president is spending five days in France, reflecting the importance he attaches to the visit. The official spoke anonymously, in line with usual practices for Macron’s office.
The official said the U.S. presidential campaign was not a factor in the discussion.
Macron previously hosted then-President Donald Trump, the Republicans’ presumptive 2024 candidate, in France for Bastille Day in 2017, before being hosted by Trump himself for a state visit in 2018, before the relationship between the two leaders deteriorated.
Both U.S. and French officials said Ukraine would be at the top of Saturday’s agenda, but the centerpiece of the weekend event would be the strength of the alliance, proven 80 years ago in Normandy, but with much deeper roots.
“It’s probably good for us to remember that we also did not gain our independence without some foreign assistance or foreign assistance, particularly from France,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Friday.
Max Bergmann, a former U.S. State Department official who leads European research at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the relationship between the two countries is strong despite occasional disagreements.
“There is always tension in French-American relations because the French are trying to do things,” he said. “They are being bold, they are making proposals, and that will create some friction if we push back.”
For example, he said, France has proposed placing Western trainers on the ground in Ukraine, leading to questions about whether this “actually provides Ukraine with a major, tangible benefit” or has the “potential to be escalatory and dangerous.”
Of Macron, Bergmann said: “He is the one who pushes the boundaries and puts forward ideas.”
Kirby said the two leaders would make an announcement on Saturday on deepening maritime law enforcement cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. They should also discuss economic and climate issues.
Macron praised the Biden administration’s commitment to supporting Ukraine, but said earlier this year that Europe “must become able to defend its interests, with its allies at our side when they want, and only if necessary,” saying argued that the continent should be less dependent on the US for its own defense.
He also warned Western powers against showing signs of weakness towards Russia, as he repeatedly said sending Western troops to Ukraine to strengthen the country’s defenses should not be ruled out.
The two leaders would also discuss their efforts to broker a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as the US and Israel await Hamas’ response to a ceasefire promoted by Biden -fire proposal that would allow a wave of humanitarian aid. to Gaza.
“The president will inform President Macron about this. And again, we eagerly await his perspectives and his views on what’s happening in Gaza,” Kirby said.
Macron is expected to address U.S. trade practices he has often criticized, including the Inflation Reduction Act, which favors U.S. climate technology such as electric vehicles. Macron said the US, like China, has “decided not to respect the rules of global trade” by strengthening protections and subsidies, while European industry remains open and mired in over-regulation.
The top French official said Europe must defend European interests after seeing the US do the same with its own interests, but said Macron hopes to find a mutually acceptable outcome.
Gary Hufbauer, nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said trade with China is a sticking point between the U.S. and Europe, especially France. The US is keen to restrict trade, especially when it comes to technology.
Biden is also moving toward tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and batteries, which could impact European cars containing Chinese parts.
The fear is that “if you have something from China, we don’t want you in the US”
“That is a major concern in Europe.”
Overall, Hufbauer said, “Europe wants to have much more trade with China than the US wants.”
