US President Joe Biden (Photo: Reuters) |
In the statement, issued following a phone call between French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden, the two countries said the conflict could have been avoided if strategic issues had been discussed openly with France. The two Presidents agreed to meet in October to develop an extensive consultation process to ensure mutual trust and to devise a mechanism for achieving shared goals. Immediately following their phone discussion, France announced that Philippe Etienne, the French Ambassador to the US, will return to Washington next week.