During his state visit to France, U.S. President Joe Biden held a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron on June 8, where they strongly condemned the military cooperation between North Korea and Russia and reaffirmed their firm commitment to supporting Ukraine. The two leaders agreed to join forces for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and also closely consulted on global trade issues such as overproduction from China.
The White House announced, “President Biden and President Macron strongly condemned North Korea’s provision of ballistic missiles and ammunition to Russia at the summit, and agreed to continue cooperative efforts on all issues related to North Korea at the UN Security Council.”
The two leaders agreed to cooperate for the prosperity and security advancement of the Indo-Pacific and closely cooperate on various challenges related to China. Despite significant differences of opinion on security issues such as the war in Ukraine and trade issues between the United States and Europe, media outlets evaluated that the two leaders showed a strong effort to unite during the summit.
Biden emphasized in a joint statement with Macron, “Both countries are fighting against the brutal invasion of Vladimir Putin with the people of Ukraine,” and “Putin will not stop in Ukraine. It’s not just Ukraine, all of Europe is threatened, and we won’t let that happen.” Macron also thanked Biden for showing sincerity as a partner who loves and respects Europe as the president of the world’s largest power, saying that the two countries’ intentions coincide in supporting Ukraine.
The two leaders also called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Macron said, “The situation in Rafah and the resulting loss of life is intolerable,” and “Israel’s operation in the Gaza Strip must stop and the UN Security Council must play a role.” Biden welcomed the Israeli military’s rescue of four hostages, saying, “We won’t stop our efforts until all the hostages return home and a ceasefire is reached,” adding, “It’s absolutely necessary.”
The two leaders, sitting face to face in the Élysée Palace garden, reportedly had an in-depth discussion on the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and China’s overproduction issues.
According to the AP, Biden was heard telling the press corps at the meeting that “the United States and Europe can coordinate together” regarding the IRA and other issues. Biden mentioned that Chinese President Xi Jinping recently opposed the U.S. tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, but did not mention this at the press conference. Macron told reporters, “We expressed the same concern about the possibility of unfair practices in China,” adding, “This leads to overproduction and is a major issue for the global economy. We need to respond in a coordinated way.”
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