President Emmanuel Macron said his meeting with Vice President Joe Biden on Friday will help France and the US repair confidence after a squabble over an Indo-Pacific security deal, and that looking to the future was critical.

After Biden kept Macron waiting for more than an hour and a half, the two leaders enjoyed a warm handshake in front of the cameras before settling down to discuss climate change, West African counter-terrorism, and European defense.

In his opening remarks at France’s embassy to the Vatican, Macron stated, “What really matters now is what we do together in the coming weeks, in the coming months.”

“It’s an important meeting because after the AUKUS affair, we have embarked on a veritable joint project,” Macron said, referring to the acronym for the security pact Washington signed with Britain and Australia.

Macron and his government were left infuriated by the deal which resulted in Canberra scrapping a mega-defence deal for French submarines.

At the time, Macron’s government said it had been ‘stabbed in the back’ by its close allies, upset by the manner in which the affair undermined France and Europe’s role on the global stage.

Macron and his government were left infuriated by the deal which resulted in Canberra scrapping a mega-defence deal for French submarines.

At the time, Macron’s government said it had been ‘stabbed in the back’ by its close allies, upset by the manner in which the affair undermined France and Europe’s role on the global stage.