Joe Biden will call Emmanuel Macron in the coming days to “reaffirm” the United States’ commitment to France following the country’s dramatic reaction to a new nuclear alliance with Australia and the United Kingdom.

       White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the leaders of the two countries would speak in the coming days, but that the US had no plans to abandon the “AUKUS” alliance that sunk France’s $90bn submarine contract with Australia

       “What I expect the president will do on that call is reaffirm our commitment to working with one of our oldest and closest partners on a range of challenges that the global community is facing,” she said.

       This is a developing story.