Biden, Macron talk Middle East and Ukraine in French visit

PARIS: Fresh from commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed U.S. President Joe Biden in Paris on Saturday for a state visit that included talks about the Middle East, Ukraine and trade.

The two countries will work harder to prevent a regional escalation from Israel’s war with militant group Hamas in Gaza and focus on calming tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, Macron told reporters at the Elysee presidential palace, with Biden at his side. “We are redoubling efforts together to avoid a regional explosion, particularly in Lebanon,” Macron said. Hezbollah is an Iran-backed political movement and militia in Lebanon.

Both men welcomed the rescue by Israeli forces of four hostages held by Hamas since October. “We won’t stop working until all the hostages come home and a ceasefire is reached,” Biden said. Biden has been a staunch supporter of Israel, which is pursuing Hamas after it attacked the country in October. But tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths have soured Biden’s left-leaning political base on Israel, hurting him as he runs against Republican Donald Trump for re-election in November.

Biden and Macron, who spent the last few days celebrating D-Day veterans and extolling democratic values, did not take questions from reporters. The Saturday visit began with a ceremony at the iconic Arc de Triomphe, where the leaders paid their respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier while a massive French flag hanging from the arch fluttered in the breeze above their heads.

Accompanied by their wives, Biden and Macron greeted army veterans who joined senior officials from both countries. Then, escorted by French guards on horseback, the leaders drove down the capital’s renowned Avenue des Champs-Elysees, en route to the Elysee. Biden and Macron share a warm relationship despite past tensions over a submarine deal with Australia. Biden hosted Macron for a state visit at the White House in 2022. They are aligned in their countries’ support for Ukraine and opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin, though they have not agreed yet on a plan to use frozen Russian assets to help Kyiv. A U.S. Treasury official said on Tuesday the United States and its G7 partners were making progress on that.

“The United States is standing strong with Ukraine. We’re standing with our allies. We are standing with France,” Biden said. “Putin is not going to stop with Ukraine.... All of Europe will be threatened. We’re not going to let that happen.” Biden met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Paris on Friday, apologizing for a months-long delay by the U.S. Congress in approving the latest military aid, and Zelenskiy addressed France’s National Assembly.

Beyond Ukraine, trade issues between the two sides of the Atlantic loomed large, especially over the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.