French president to host US counterpart for June state visit

French President Emmanuel Macron will host US President Joe Biden for a state visit in Paris after D-Day commemorations next week, the French presidency and the White House announced.

The June 8 engagement will be Biden’s first state visit to France and comes ahead of a series of summits including of G-7 and NATO leaders, where Ukraine will likely dominate talks. Biden hosted Macron on a state visit to Washington in 2022, POLITICO reports.

On June 6, world leaders will gather on the beaches of Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Attendees include Britain’s King Charles, Germany’s Olaf Scholz and possibly Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The French and US presidents are to discuss long-term aid to Ukraine, the Elysée said in a statement.

“Our close coordination on international crises will serve to prepare the next international events, including June’s G7 summit in Bari and the NATO summit in Washington in July,” the statement read.

Biden and Macron are also expected to discuss economic, space and nuclear topics as well as climate change.

The two leaders are said to enjoy a warm and friendly relationship, despite policy disagreements. The French president, for example, has publicly criticized America’s Inflation Reduction Act for impacting investment in Europe.

The visit comes ahead of next weekend’s European election, which is expected to produce big gains for the French far right.