UK: Johnson Holds Call w/Macron In Attempt To Soothe Relations

The Elyesee Palace has confirmed that French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone call with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier today as the latter sought to improve relations between the two countries following a falling out in the wake of the announcement of the AUKUS alliance and the cancellation of a EUR50bn submarine contract France had in place with Australia.

• The Elyesee commented that following Johnson's call to restore cooperation, Macron said that he awaited Johnson's proposals.
• Downing St. statement says that the two 'reaffirmed the importance of the UK-France relationship and agreed to continue working closely together around the world on our shared agenda' and that "The leaders noted in particular the strategic significance of our long-standing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific."
• The two also spoke about the flow of migrants across the English Channel from France to the UK (a major political headache for the UK gov't), with the two agreeing to 'intensify cooperation' on the issue.
• Despite the call, the Franco-British relationship shows little sign of significant improvement any time soon, and indeed as the French presidential election gets nearer (spring 2022) is likely to hinder the chance of any meaningful reconciliation until mid-2022 at the earliest.