US urges UK to mend fences with France after spat over Australia's AUKUS submarine deal

An American diplomatic source recently suggested that Washington is pressing London to follow its lead and try to repair relations with Paris following the controversy over France's submarine deal with Australia. As per a report by the Guardian, US officials were reportedly enraged with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's unwillingness to do more to mend relations with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Somewhere in mid-September, Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that the UK's relationship with France is of great importance was extremely proud of this relationship but did voice frustration over French complains of the contract cancellation with Canberra. He said that they had planned for a three-legged stool of Britain, Europe and the United States, but they are having to operate more of a hub and spoke operation, in which they reach out independently to democracies in Europe, the United Kingdom and Asia.

"French submarine deal cancellation was an unforced error"

A source of The Guardian described Australia's handling of the French submarine deal cancellation as an unforced error. According to a report by Sputnik, an insider stated that the declaration of the new security alliance between the UK, the US and Australia should have been delayed for at least three months. The comments come after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spent two days in France and Brussels, attempting to mend Washington's ties with Paris and Brussels in the aftermath of the submarine incident.

Blinken's trip came after French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters in September that there is a crisis of trust beyond the fact that the contract is being broken. Le Drian also said that the United States, as their ally, must consider the core interests of Europeans, who will not be left behind in the US approach, adding that European countries should assemble their own priorities and strategy.

Following the AUKUS declaration, Paris withdrew its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra

A report by Sputnik stated that France's top diplomat emphasised that Canberra's abandonment of the submarine deal that has linked Australia and France since 2016 and the announcement of the AUKUS alliance represents unacceptable behaviour between allies and partners, the consequences of which affect the very conception of the alliances, partnerships and the importance of the Indo-Pacific for Europe. Following the AUKUS declaration, Paris withdrew its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra but later agreed to send its US Ambassador Philippe Etienne back to Washington in early October.

Image: AP