- President Joe Biden is on a five-day visit to France, where D-Day was celebrated, among other things
- First lady Jill Biden flew back to Paris to be by his side for the state visit
- READ MORE: Biden apologizes to Zelensky for delays in military aid to Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed President Joe Biden to Paris on Saturday, with a ceremony full of splendor under the Arc de Triomphe.
There will be awkward moments during the state visit for two presidents divided over trade and how to deal with the war in Ukraine.
But they and their first ladies greeted each other warmly and shared a joke before standing shoulder to shoulder under a fluttering French tricolor to honor the country’s war dead.
It is an opportunity for France to give back after Biden hosted Macron for a state visit to the White House in 2022. And the French media have paid a lot of attention to the fact that their guest is in the country for five days and the D-Day anniversary.
‘France is… our oldest and one of our deepest allies. And this will be an important moment to reaffirm that alliance and also look to the future and what we need to achieve together,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters.
President Emmanuel Macron greets President Joe Biden on Saturday before his state visit in Paris, with first ladies Brigitte Macron and Jill Biden
They will discuss Russia’s war with Ukraine, the Gaza crisis, as well as climate change, artificial intelligence and supply chains.
They will also announce plans to cooperate in the Indo-Pacific on port security and maritime law enforcement.
Biden and his officials have repeatedly pointed out that France is the U.S.’s oldest ally and is sending troops to fight in the Revolutionary War against Britain.
Yet that relationship brings tensions. Macron has repeatedly pressured Biden to go further in his support for Ukraine, even suggesting he would send French troops to train Ukrainian forces in a move the US president fears would only escalate Russian aggression.
And like other European leaders, Macron has been far more critical of Israel in its warfare in Gaza than Biden.
All this is accompanied by a large dose of Gallic outrage at any hint of American cultural imperialism, coupled with American annoyance at French sensitivities.
The two presidents laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a ceremony at the Arc du Triumphe to mark the start of the state visit
The Bidens arrive in the Beast. Jill Biden flew back to Paris to be by her husband’s side
The French Republican Guard stands in front of the Arc de Triomphe before a welcome ceremony with the French president and the US president in Paris
Biden arrived in France on Wednesday, ahead of the 80th anniversary of D-Day. On Friday, he gave a speech at the World War II Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument
First lady Jill Biden stood by the president’s side after flying back to the US on a whirlwind visit to make sure she was with stepson Hunter as his trial on weapons charges continued.
While she was away, Biden spent Friday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris, where he apologized for Congress’ months-long delay in approving tens of billions of dollars in military aid.
And then he flew to Normandy for a sensational speech, in which he connected the spirit of the American heroes of D-Day with today’s struggle for democracy.