Biden to Macron: US was clumsy for pact with Britain and Australia

President Joe Biden met French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday at the G20 summit in Rome and addressed Washington’s rift with Paris over a US security pact with Britain and Australia, saying what the US did was “clumsy”.

Biden used the opportunity to turn the page on a relationship that came under strain over the US-Australia security alliance, known as AUKUS, which also includes the UK. The pact effectively cancelled a 2016 Australian-France submarine deal.

Biden said the handling of the issue was “clumsy” and he was under the impression that France had already been informed that their deal with Australia was not going through.