rench president Emmanuel Macron has said the UK and France must “move on” from controversial remarks made by Liz Truss during the Tory leadership race.
The pair held their first bilateral meeting at the fringes of the United Nations summit in New York on Tuesday.
The “constructive” conversation was the first since Ms Truss caused controversy by failing to say whether the ally was “friend or foe” during an interview before becoming prime minister.
Mr Macron welcomed their conversations on Ukraine and other European issues, saying: “I now believe in proof, in results. There is a will to re-engage, to move on and to show that we are allies and friends in a complex world.”
Ms Truss did not discuss issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol or unauthorised migrant crossings of the Channel during her meeting. The talks instead focused on energy security rather than the two major points of contention.
A Downing Street spokesman said the government intends to resolve protocol issues with the EU, adding: “This is not an issue that necessarily we believe can be solved through one single EU country.”
But the spokesman would not say whether she will raise the protocol with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday. The White House has said that Joe Biden will raise it in his meeting with Ms Truss.