[ad_1]
French President Emmanuel Macron’s team is outraged by President Joe Biden’s announcement to share US and British nuclear submarine technology with Australia, which scuttles a deal for Australia to buy French ships.
“The American choice to exclude a European ally and partner like France from a structuring partnership with Australia, at a time when we are facing unprecedented challenges in the Indo-Pacific region … shows a lack coherence that France can only note and regret ”, declared the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian and the French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly in a joint press release Wednesday evening.
Their protest threw a Parisian veil over a deal that U.S. observers hailed as a major strategic breakthrough for Australia and a testament to the power of the U.S. alliance network, in defiance of China’s argument that the The chaotic withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan foreshadows future failures of American support. for the allies. Yet Macron’s government sees the announcement as a breach of trust on Australia’s part and a sign of disrespect on Biden’s part which reinforces the need for “strategic autonomy” from the government. United States.
“The regrettable decision (…) only reinforces the need to pose loud and clear the question of European strategic autonomy”, declared the French leaders. “There is no other credible way to defend our interests and values in the world, including the Indo-Pacific.”
BIDEN LOSES EUROPE’S TRUST
Biden’s team cited the UK’s involvement in the deal as a mechanism to bring a transatlantic ally into the Indo-Pacific, as US officials try to manage and deter looming threats from China .
“These relations with Britain and Australia are time-tested – our oldest allies, in general,” a senior administration official told reporters on Wednesday. “This is designed not only to strengthen our capabilities in the Indo-Pacific, but to link Europe, and in particular Britain more closely, to our strategic pursuits throughout the region … Great Britain -Brittany is very focused on the concept of ‘Global Britain’, and their inclination is to engage much more deeply with the Indo-Pacific, and that’s a down payment on that effort. ”
Biden extended an olive branch to France, the United States’ oldest ally, while hinting that the new deal was an example of London following the example of Paris.
“Indeed, this effort reflects a broader trend of key European countries playing an extremely important role in the Indo-Pacific,” Biden said. “France, in particular, already has a substantial Indo-Pacific presence and is a key partner and ally in strengthening the security and prosperity of the region. The United States looks forward to working closely with France and other key countries as we move forward. “
CLICK HERE FOR MORE ABOUT THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Yet the deal condemns a plan for Australia to buy $ 90 billion worth of diesel-powered submarines from France.
“The world is a jungle. France has just been reminded of this bitter truth by the way the United States and the United Kingdom stabbed her in the back in Australia, ”wrote on Twitter the former French Ambassador to the United States, Gérard. Araud. “That’s life.”
Washington Examiner Videos
Key words: News, Foreign policy, National security, France, Australia, China, Joe Biden, Nuclear submarine, United Kingdom
Original author: Joel gehrke
Original location: “The world is a jungle”: France rants against the agreement between the United States and Australia on nuclear submarines
[ad_2]
Source link