President Joe Biden has called US government actions "clumsy" during his first meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron since a diplomatic crisis erupted last month over a US security pact with the UK and Australia.
Mr Biden used the meeting at the G20 summit in Rome, Italy, to try to turn the page on a relationship that came under strain over the US-Australia security alliance, known as AUKUS, which also includes the United Kingdom.
The pact effectively cancelled a 2016 Australian-French submarine deal.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says France and Australia's relationship has "started the way back' .
The US decision to secretly negotiate a new agreement drew outrage from officials in Paris.
"I think what happened was - to use an English phrase - what we did was clumsy. It was not done with a lot of grace," Mr Biden said.
"I was under the impression certain things had happened that hadn't happened. And - but I want to make it clear: France is an extremely, extremely valued partner - extremely - and a power in and of itself."
Mr Biden also said the United States does not have an older and more loyal ally than France and that there is no place in the world where the United States cannot co-operate with France.
"I was under the impression that France had been informed long before that the deal was not going through. I, honest to God, did not know you had not been," Mr Biden told Mr Macron.
Mr Macron said his meeting with Mr Biden was "important" and that it was essential to "look to the future" as his country and the United States work to mend fences.
French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and US President Joe Biden (L) before their meeting at the French Embassy to the Vatican in Rome, 29 October, 2021. Source: AFP
"What really matters now is what we will do together in the coming weeks, the coming months, the coming years," Mr Macron said.
Mr Macron told reporters after the meeting: "We are building the trust again. Trust is like love. Declaration is good, but proof is better."
The French leader said he believed Mr Biden was sincere when he said he thought France had been informed about the submarine deal by the UK and Australia.
'We've started the way back'
Meanwhile, Mr Morrison says French-Australian diplomatic ties are heading back in the right direction.
Mr Morrison spoke to his French counterpart on Thursday for the first time since Australia scrapped a $90 billion submarine deal with Naval Group and opted instead for an agreement with the US and UK on nuclear-powered subs.
Mr Macron said Australia "broke the relationship of trust" between the two countries and it was up to Mr Morrison to repair the relationship.
On arrival in Italy on Friday night for a G20 meeting, Mr Morrison told reporters he very much appreciated that Mr Macron had reached out to make a personal call to him, and Australia respected and understood the obvious disappointment of France.
"So we've started the way back, I think that's a positive thing. Of course there will be candid conversations at the start as we deal with the issues as they've presented," he said.
"The way you build back those relationships is you work together on the things that matter to us both," Mr Morrison said, referencing shared interests in the Indo-Pacific and policies on oceans and technology.
"Antarctica is another key area and Australia is a highly reputable operator there. I know France equally has their interests there," he said.
The call between the two leaders delayed Mr Morrison's departure from Canberra on Thursday night for the G20 summit in Rome.
The federal government said the phone call came after Mr Morrison wrote a letter to Mr Macron in October.
'We'll see whether they follow through'
Since the rift erupted, the US has taken several steps to fix the relationship. Mr Biden and Mr Macron spoke to each other last week.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also visited Paris, where he acknowledged the United States could have "communicated better".
Vice President Kamala Harris also announced that she would travel to Paris in November and meet with Mr Macron.
Mr Biden and Mr Macron met at the Villa Bonaparte, the French embassy to the Vatican, which a French diplomat said was a significant mark of goodwill from Mr Biden.
"It's an important gesture," the French diplomat said, adding that the United States recognised that it underestimated the impact of its actions.
France now wants to see if Mr Biden follows his words with actions.
"Trust is being rebuilt. This is one step. Tokens of goodwill were given, we'll see whether they follow through over the long term," the diplomat said.
With additional reporting by AP
