The Washington Post quoted US officials as saying that President Joe Biden is pressing for a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, amid mounting Paris anger after Australia withdrew from an agreement to buy French submarines.
The newspaper added that Biden aims to end the quarrels between the two countries after Canberra broke off a huge deal with Paris.
She also stated that US officials were surprised by France recalling its ambassador from Washington.
US officials, according to the newspaper, attributed the dispute with Paris to internal French politics, as Macron seeks to win a second term.
And the American newspaper reported that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met face to face with French Ambassador Philip Etienne last Thursday and Friday.
She added that Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken tried to contact his French counterpart to inform him of the deal with the United Kingdom and Australia before it was announced, but the French stated that they were unable to determine the date of the call, according to US officials.
The "Washington Post" indicated that officials in the White House and the State Department expected that relations would improve, and that the French ambassador would return to Washington in the coming weeks.
Earlier, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Sunday that Biden had asked to speak to Macron after Australia canceled a submarine deal with France in favor of the United States, noting that "a phone call will take place (between them) in the coming days."
Macron "will ask for clarification," the spokesman told BMFTV, adding: "We want explanations about what appears to be a major undermining of trust."
Britain's quest for peace
In the same context, Bloomberg News reported that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is seeking to calm the atmosphere with France in the midst of a crisis sparked by a joint nuclear submarine deal between the United States, Britain and Australia.
The Bloomberg report quoted Johnson as telling reporters, on his way to New York, that Britain was very proud of its relationship with France.
Bloomberg added - quoting Johnson - as saying that Britain and France are cooperating in joint military operations in Mali and the Baltic states, and they also share a simulation program for nuclear tests.
French procedures
In exchange for calm efforts from Washington and London, the French position is still taking an upward breath after canceling the nuclear submarine deal with Australia.
France canceled a meeting between its Minister of the Armed Forces and its British counterpart, against the background of canceling the submarine deal between France and Australia, and accused Australia and the United States of lying, as well as Britain of opportunism.
The cancellation of the meeting comes in the midst of a crisis between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, after the three countries announced on Wednesday the launch of a strategic partnership to confront China, which includes supplying Canberra nuclear-powered submarines, and thus the Australian side withdrew from an agreement to purchase French submarines.
This move angered France, an ally of the United States and Britain in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and prompted it to recall its ambassadors to Washington and Canberra, as well as to China, the emerging major power in the Indo-Pacific region.
Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that France canceled a meeting between its Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, and her British counterpart, Ben Wallace, which had been scheduled for this week, after Australia canceled an order for submarines from Paris in order to reach an agreement with Washington and London.
The Guardian newspaper revealed the cancellation of the meeting, during which the two ministers were to speak before the Joint Franco-British Council, an independent framework for strengthening relations between the two countries established half a century ago.
Within the same high tone of the French position;
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian accused Australia and the United States of lying, and also accused Britain of permanent opportunism, as he put it.
Le Drian added in an interview with French Channel Two, that his country is re-evaluating its position towards its allies in response to the announcement of a strategic partnership between the United States, Australia and Britain.
He stressed that what happened in the submarine issue is a "serious crisis that will affect the future of NATO," calling on the alliance to take this crisis into account.
The French minister pointed out that the Europeans decided a few days ago to adopt a strategy of their own in the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Australia: We make decisions according to our interests
And Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said yesterday that he understood Paris's disappointment over his country's retreat from completing a deal to buy French submarines and concluding an alternative deal with the United States and Britain.
Although Morrison expressed understanding for France's "disappointment", he made clear that Australia needed to protect its interests.
"There is, of course, a strong disappointment for the French government, so I understand their disappointment," Morrison told a news briefing. "But at the same time Australia, like any sovereign country, must always make decisions that are in its sovereign interest with regard to national defence."
For his part, the Defense Minister said today that "his country was frank, open and honest with Paris about its concerns over a deal to buy French submarines."