US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in the French capital, Paris, on Monday, on a tense visit, less than three weeks after an unprecedented crisis erupted between France and the United States over the Australian submarine deal.

Blinken is scheduled to meet - today, Tuesday - with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian and an advisor to President Emmanuel Macron, and the US minister will participate - today and tomorrow, Wednesday - in a ministerial meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

This is the first visit of a high-ranking US official to France since the United States announced - in mid-September - the formation of a new alliance with Australia and Britain in the Indo-Pacific region, with the aim of countering the expansion of Chinese influence.

The formation of this alliance angered the French authorities because it led to Australia terminating a huge contract to buy conventional French submarines after the United States agreed to supply them with nuclear-powered submarines.

After France accused the United States of having "stab in the back", US President Joe Biden admitted in a phone conversation with his French counterpart that communication with Paris in this regard could have been better, and as a result, the two presidents launched an "extensive consultation process to restore confidence."


It is assumed that Blinken's visit to Paris falls within the context of the "process of intensive consultations";

In preparation for a summit between the US and French presidents at the end of October.

Before Blinken went to Paris, Karen Donfried - US Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs - said, "Our talks must produce tangible actions that show how we can work together to restore confidence," without clarifying whether any announcement will be made after the Paris meetings.