French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris dodged questions Wednesday about the recent diplomatic crisis between their two countries, opting instead for a photo-op on the Elysée doorstep, reports Politico.
“I’m very happy to be in Paris,” Harris said in response to a question by a reporter about whether she needs to make amends, as she arrived at the presidential palace in Paris on Wednesday evening for a bilateral meeting with Macron.
It has fallen to Harris to wrap up the months-long American contrition/non-contrition tour to mend the bitter feud with France over AUKUS, the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific strategic alliance with the U.K. and Australia, which sidelined France and stripped it of a massive submarine contract with Canberra in September.
Macron also ignored a question from the reporter about whether the relationship between the two countries had been repaired, though he did tell Harris he was “extremely grateful for [her] presence.”
“We do share the view that we are at the beginning of a new era, and our cooperation is absolutely critical for this one,” Macron said at the top of his meeting with Harris.