Blinken Meets Macron in Paris as U.S. Tries to Ease Tensions Over AUKUS Alliance

France’s Macron on Tuesday met with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Paris as he seeks to repair damages between the two G-7 nations after the Biden administration excluded France from a new Indo-Pacific security initiative. France was angered over the new deal after Australia abandoned a multi-billion dollar defense deal, which provided the latter with diesel-powered submarines. Instead, Australia chose to enter into an agreement with the United States and the UK for nuclear-powered vessels. The trilateral agreement between the United States, Australia, and the UK – which is known as AUKUS – prompted Joe Biden to request…