London/Washington | US President Joe Biden has offered a public mea culpa to French President Emmanuel Macron over the stealth involved in creating the new AUKUS alliance, even as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told his French counterpart to “get a grip”.

Mr Biden told Mr Macron in a phone call on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) that “the situation would have benefited from open consultation on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners”, according to a joint statement issued afterwards.