In Meeting With Macron, Biden Says U.S. Handling of Australia Submarine Deal Was ‘Clumsy’

ROME—President Biden said his administration was “clumsy” in handling negotiations on a submarine contract with Australia that led to a diplomatic rupture with France, as he met French President Emmanuel Macron in an attempt to mend relations with the longtime U.S. ally.

The two leaders met Friday for the first time since the dispute erupted, sitting next to each other in France’s Embassy to the Vatican in the center of Rome. The meeting came a day before leaders from the Group of 20 major economies gather in Rome over the weekend.