French President Emanuel Macron on Tuesday met with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Paris as he seeks to repair damages between the two G-7 nations after the Biden administration excluded France from a new Indo-Pacific security initiative. France was angered over the new deal after Australia abandoned a multi-billion dollar defense deal, which provided the latter with diesel-powered submarines. Instead, Australia chose to enter into an agreement with the United States and the UK for nuclear-powered vessels. The trilateral agreement between the United States, Australia, and the UK—which is known as AUKUS—prompted President Joe Biden to request a call with Macron in September in an attempt to cool down the dispute. “Blinken and President Macron discussed steps forward in U.S.-French relations,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement, noting that U.S. officials look forward to Macron meeting with Biden later this month at a date and specific …
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