Blinken meets Macron as US seeks to heal rift with France

By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken have met to explore potential cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and other areas. Tuesday’s roughly 40-minute one-on-one meeting comes as the U.S. moves to repair damage to relations with France caused by the Biden administration’s exclusion of America’s oldest ally from a new Indo-Pacific security initiative. A senior State Department official says the two discussed possible joint projects that could be announced by Macron and President Joe Biden when they meet later this month. The administration has acknowledged that the announcement of a three-way agreement between Australia, Britain and the U.S. known as AUKUS was handled poorly.