PARIS — U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday stressed how much they agree with each other about world affairs, including the war in Ukraine, even as their countries have expressed sharply different views of the fighting in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas.
Appearing briefly together in front of reporters after two days of D-Day remembrances and hours before a lavish state dinner at the Élysée Palace in Paris, the two presidents declined to take any questions and papered over their stark differences about the Middle East. Instead, they both asserted the enduring strength of the U.S.-France partnership on climate, the economy, European security and cultural ties.
“Today, I proudly stand with France to support freedom and democracy around the world,” Biden said, as the two men emerged from a closed-door meeting at the Élysée Palace.
“We see eye to eye on this war raging in Ukraine,” Macron said, adding that he hoped “all members of the G7 will agree to a $50 billion solidarity fund for Ukraine,” referring to the Group of 7 industrialized nations.
Macron’s comments suggested that the two leaders had reached common ground over a plan to leverage proceeds from frozen Russian assets to provide an upfront loan of up to $50 billion to Ukraine. U.S. officials had said heading into the meeting that France was the main holdout for such a plan and that they were hoping to win support during the Paris visit.
On Gaza, Macron noted his government’s support for an Israeli cease-fire proposal that Biden has strongly backed.
But the French president also directly challenged Israel to do more to deliver aid to Palestinians suffering from the government’s bombardment.
“It is not acceptable that Israel should not open all checkpoints to humanitarian aid, as requested by the united international community for months,” Macron said. He said Israeli operations in Gaza “should stop.”
France has supported the International Criminal Court’s decision to seek warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza. By contrast, Biden has condemned that effort, calling it an unconscionable comparison of the two leaders. France also voted in the United Nations in May to include the Palestinian territories as a full member of the organization, something the United States opposes.
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