President Joe Biden announced the close ties between the United States and France on Saturday, calling his current visit “the most remarkable trip” he has made to the country, while French President Emmanuel Macron hosted his American counterpart for an official state visit to Paris.
“This week, we once again showed the world… the power of allies, what we can achieve when we stand together. This is what exemplifies the relationship between France and the United States,” Biden said in comments with Macron at the Élysée Palace.
The visit comes as the US strengthens its alliance with its oldest ally amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, even with some signs of cracks appeared on the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East.
“When we are one, our countries are stronger and, literally, the world is safer,” Biden said during a state dinner on Saturday. “We are at an inflection point in history. The decisions we make now will determine the course of our future for decades to come.”
The state visit began with Macron and the French first lady Brigitte Macron welcoming Biden and first lady Jill Biden with a formal ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, a Paris landmark.
The leaders paid homage at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and placed the tip of a great sword into the eternal flame. A French military choir performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” followed by “La Marseillaise.” Biden and Macron watched a flypast before greeting officials from a French delegation as bagpipes played “Amazing Grace.”
The Bidens and the Macrons signed a guest book before boarding their respective vehicles, which slowly drove through the Champs-Elysées, flanked by soldiers and American and French flags. The normally busy Paris thoroughfare was emptied of pedestrians, with major road closures affecting the area.
Biden described Saturday’s arrival ceremony as a “moving experience.”
“It was a moving experience for a history student to be on the Champs Élysée today – it was a moving experience for us, the whole delegation,” he said.
Upon arriving at the Élsyée Palace, the official residence of the French president, the leaders posed for photos before starting a working lunch. In the evening, the Macrons welcomed the Bidens back to the palace for a state dinner.
Macron is returning the favor to Biden, who hosted the French president for a state visit to the White House in December 2022, the administration’s first.
Biden noted that the US celebrates Independence Day, July 4, next month.
“This feat would not have been possible… if France had not come to our aid. We are a nation because of France, in large part. You stepped forward when we needed help,” he said.
France, Biden said, “was our first friend. He remains one of our best friends.
“Today, I proudly stand with France and support freedom and democracy around the world. That’s what this spectacular week is all about,” he said.
There was plenty for the leaders to discuss.
Macron, like other US allies, privately questioned the future of US leadership in the world if Biden lost the November elections to former President Donald Trump, with whom he had a more complicated relationship.
Biden often recalls meetings with world leaders at the beginning of his term, during a G7 meeting, where he declared: “America is back”.
“And the French leader looked at me and said, ‘For how long?’” Biden said, laughing, at a March fundraiser in New York City. “It was not funny. He said – he was serious, ‘For how long?’”
Biden has frequently pointed to these anxieties among his counterparts in arguing for a second term, although Europe has also had to face its own rising tide of populism.
On the topic of Ukraine, both countries praised their support for the war-torn country. Biden on Friday announced a new $225 billion aid package while apologizing to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for Congress’ delay.
And for his part, Macron has been a key leader in Europe’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. France doubled its defense budget, announced it would surpass NATO’s 2% defense spending benchmark, and restarted domestic production of critical military inputs.
Biden pointed to both countries’ support for Ukraine as an example of their close relationship.
“We know what will happen if (Russian President Vladimir) Putin manages to subdue Ukraine. …And we know that Putin is not going to stop at Ukraine – it’s not just Ukraine, it’s about much more than Ukraine. All of Europe will be threatened. We’re not going to let that happen,” Biden said.
In the Israel-Hamas war, Macron endorsed a ceasefire proposal presented by Biden, writing in a post on X last week, “The war in Gaza must end. We support the US proposal for lasting peace.”
But France broke ranks with its Western allies last month when its Foreign Ministry expressed support for the International Criminal Court’s decision to request an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar. Biden called the ICC decision was “outrageous”.
Both Macron and Biden welcomed the news of the rescue of four Israeli hostages who were taken prisoner by Hamas on October 7, with Biden seizing the moment to push for the ceasefire proposal he detailed last week.
“We will not stop working until all hostages are home and a ceasefire is reached,” the president said.
The U.S.-France relationship has improved dramatically since a low point at the start of the Biden administration. In September 2021, Macron took the extraordinary step of recalling his ambassador to Washington over a submarine deal between the US and Australia that surprised the French and cost them a multibillion-dollar defense contract.
“They have a warm and close relationship,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Friday night. “One of the things the president respects and admires about President Macron is that he is as honest and direct as President Joe Biden. That’s what he wants to see in a friend, in an ally.”
Biden and Macron were also expected to discuss deepening maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, with an announcement expected to build law enforcement capacity and increase US-France technical cooperation on port security, Kirby said.
“I think you will see that we are closer to our French allies than ever before,” Kirby added.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Kayla Tausche and Xiaofei Xu contributed to this report
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