January 1, France retaliates over Biden “stab in the back”

After referring to the nuclear submarine pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the US as a “stab in the back,” French President Macron recalled France’s ambassadors from the United States and Australia.

“At the request of President Macron, I have decided to immediately recall our ambassadors to the United States and Australia to Paris for consultations,” Jean-Yves Le Drain, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, said in a statement.

“The abandonment of the ocean-class submarine project that Australia and France had been working on since 2016 and the announcement of a new partnership with the United States aimed at studying the possibility of future cooperation on nuclear-powered submarines constitute unacceptable behavior among allies and partners,” the statement read.

Earlier this week, there was an announcement for the AUKUS pact between Australia, the UK, and the US that will provide nuclear submarines to Australia, scrapping a previous arrangement to send French-made submarines. France was incensed by the exclusion.

“This brutal, unilateral and unpredictable decision reminds me a lot of what Mr. Trump used to do,” Le Drian said. “I am angry and bitter. This isn’t done between allies.”

Source:

France recalls ambassadors to US and Australia in response to AUKUS nuclear submarine pact

Photo “French ambassador’s residence” by NCinDC is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0