France recalls ambassadors from U.S. and Australia over submarine deal
France has taken the extraordinary step of recalling its ambassadors to the U.S. and Australia after both countries blindsided their French allies with a new military pact and submarine contract, the French Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.
The backstory: While sealing an agreement with the U.S. and U.K. to acquire nuclear submarines, Australia ripped up an existing $90 billion submarine deal with France. That led senior French officials to accuse the U.S. of a “stab in the back.”
Why it matters: It is extraordinarily rare for an ambassador to be recalled from the capital of such a close ally, and a signal of just how furious the French government is with both Australia and the U.S.
What they’re saying: “Allies don’t do this to each other,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian fumed on Thursday, comparing Biden’s announcement to “what Mr. Trump used to do.”
- Secretary of State Tony Blinken tried to mop things up by praising France as a crucial ally in the Indo-Pacific, but to no avail.
- The French Embassy in Washington canceled a gala on Thursday night that was to celebrate the longstanding U.S.-France alliance.
- Biden, for his part, heralded a new agreement to help Australia acquire nuclear submarines as part of a trilateral security pact with the U.K. and the U.S. as an “historic step” to update U.S. alliances to face new challenges.
Worth noting: The French ambassador to the U.K. is not being recalled, a source with close knowledge of the situation told Axios. The source did not provide any explanation for that decision.
Πηγή: axios.com
