PARIS — President Joe Biden French President Emmanuel Macron will celebrate with a state visit on Saturday, as the two allies aim to show their partnership on global security issues and overcome trade tensions.
Biden and Macron attended the ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day Thursday. They met separately the next day with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris – commitments that both used to underline the urgent need to support kyiv’s fight against the Russian invasion.
But Macron and Biden have often chafed at the pace of support for Ukraine, especially as the United States (by far the largest contributor to kyiv’s defense) was forced to suspend aid shipments for months while congressional Republicans delayed an assistance package.
The state visit will begin with a welcome ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe and a military parade along the Champs-Élysées to the Elysée Palace, where both will hold official meetings and deliver public statements. Later, Macron will host a state dinner at the palace for Biden and his wife, Jill.
Biden hosted Macron in December 2022 at the White House for the first state visit of his presidency, a glamorous event that included political and business figures after the COVID-19 pandemic.
First lady Jill Biden will join her husband for Saturday’s events and return to France aboard a government plane after spending Friday in Delaware to support her son, Hunter Biden, who is on trial on federal charges of weapon possession.
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 pro EU movement is faltering.
A senior French official said Macron and Biden have a friendly and warm relationship and noted that the US president will spend five days in France, reflecting the importance he attaches to the visit. The official spoke anonymously, in line with standard practices in Macron’s office.
The official said the US presidential campaign was not a factor in the discussion.
Macron previously hosted then-President Donald Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee, in France for Bastille Day in 2017, before being hosted by Trump in 2018 for a state visit, before the relationship between the two leaders would deteriorate.
Both American and French officials said Ukraine would be at the top of Saturday’s agenda, but that the focus of the weekend’s event would be the strength of the alliance, demonstrated in Normandy 80 years ago, but with much deeper roots.
“It’s probably good for us to remember that we didn’t get our independence without some foreign aid or foreign assistance, specifically from France,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Friday.
Max Bergmann, a former U.S. State Department official who directs Europe 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 Franco-American relations, because the French try to do things,” he said. “They are bold, they make proposals, and that creates some friction when we push back.”
For example, he said, France proposed sending Western trainers on the ground in Ukraine, raising questions about whether this “is really giving Ukraine an important and tangible benefit” or whether it has the “potential to cause escalation and be dangerous.” .
Regarding Macron, Bergmann said: “He is the one who pushes boundaries and throws out ideas.”
Kirby said the two leaders would make an announcement Saturday on deepening maritime law enforcement cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. They will also discuss economic and climate challenges.
While praising the Biden administration’s commitment to supporting Ukraine, Macron said earlier this year that Europe must become “capable of defending its interests, with its allies at our side whenever they wish, and alone if necessary,” arguing that the continent should be less dependent on the United States for its own defense.
He also warned the Western powers not to show any signs of weakness towards Russia, as he repeatedly stated that send western troops to Ukraine The possibility of strengthening its defense should not be ruled out.
The two leaders will also discuss their efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as the United States and Israel await Hamas’ response to a ceasefire proposal promoted by Biden that would allow for increased assistance. humanitarian. towards Gaza.
“The president will inform President Macron about all that. And again, let’s look forward to his perspectives and his views on what’s happening in Gaza,” Kirby said.
Macron is expected to mention American trade practices that he has often criticized, including the Inflation Reduction Act, which favors American-made climate technology such as electric vehicles. Macron said the United States, 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 excessive regulation.
The senior French official said Europe has to defend European interests, after seeing the United States do the same with its own, but said Macron hopes to find a mutually acceptable outcome.
Gary Hufbauer, a nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said trade with China is a sticking point between the United States and Europe, particularly France. The United States has been more eager to restrict trade, particularly when it comes to technology.
Biden is also moving toward imposing tariffs on Chinese batteries and electric vehicles, which could affect European cars that include Chinese parts.
The fear is that “if you have any component from China, we don’t want you in the United States.”
“That’s a big concern in Europe.”
Overall, Hufbauer said, “Europe wants to do much more trade with China than the United States wants.”
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
