Macron and Blinken meet in the aftermath of the diplomatic crisis between France and the United States

Emmanuel Macron, President of France, and Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, met for the first time, in a meeting not initially planned, after the crisis generated by the AUKUS alliance, sealed by Australia, the United Kingdom and the American giant, which meant the French protest above all following the subsequent breakdown of a contract for the purchase of submarines worth 66 billion dollars that had been signed with the Australian nation and which involved the French entity Naval Group.

Blinken took advantage of his stay in Paris to attend the ministerial meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which this year is under US chairmanship, and met with Macron. According to the Elysée Palace, the conversation between the French president and the US secretary of state was "long" and "face to face", as EFE news agency also reported. 

On the horizon of this meeting was the option of restoring trust and bilateral contacts between two countries that are supposed to be partners, but which have had a disagreement over the AUKUS proposal. 

Agence France Presse confirmed the meeting, citing State Department sources, and reported on a meeting in which both leaders agreed on the "opportunity to deepen and intensify coordination" between the two countries. However, it was also made clear that "much difficult work remains to define precise decisions". 

Antony Blinken also had the opportunity to meet with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris on Tuesday to discuss cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and the Sahel, according to Ned Price, spokesman for the US State Department, as reported by Sputnik. The meeting also agreed to cooperate on Afghanistan, stressing the importance of the Taliban fulfilling their commitments. 

Price also noted that Blinken and Le Drian also discussed the need to strengthen the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the question of US support for European security. This is a hot topic because many analysts argue that the EU should develop a common defence sector so that it is less dependent on the Atlantic Alliance and the United States. Several experts have pointed out that the existence of a European army is very necessary in order to give the EU more independence and its own entity within the international concert.  

At the root of the whole problem was the adoption of the AUKUS alliance on 15 September, when the US, UK and Australia announced a new defence pact aimed at defending their interests in the Indo-Pacific region, the first phase of which provides for the construction of eight nuclear-powered submarines for the Australian navy. At the same time, Australia cancelled the contract for the purchase of French submarines. 

Following this decision, France recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia for consultations after the Australians opted for the US giant and the UK in a decisive foreign policy shift. 

It remains to be seen whether Antony Blinken's meetings with Emmanuel Macron and Jean-Yves Le Drian will serve to improve ties and overcome this situation.