AUKUS Submarine row: White House in 'close contact' with France after envoy recall

The United States has been in contact with France regarding the decision to recall Ambassador Philippe Etienne to Paris for consultations, the White House said. On Friday, France had recalled its envoys to the US and Australia in protest of a new partnership between the two countries to deliver nuclear-powered submarines to Canberra. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian's announced that the move was made at the request of President Emmanuel Macron after Australia terminated a $40 billion submarine contract with France. 

Following France’s announcement, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that the US is in “close contact” with Paris, and will continue to consult with the French officials to resolve their differences. While calling France a “vital partner” and “oldest ally”, Price said that the United States places the “highest value” on the relationship between the two nations. The US official also added that the White House hopes to continue the discussion on the issue at the senior level in the coming days. 

Separately, National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne, in a statement said, “We understand their (France) position and will continue to be engaged in the coming days to resolve our differences, as we have done at other points over the course of our long alliance”.  

AUKUS submarine row

France has reacted angrily to the new partnership between the US, UK and Australia (AUKUS). It has expressed frustration over a submarine deal, which ends a long-standing contract between Canberra and Paris and replaces it with a deal between the US, UK and Australia. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called the deal a “unilateral, brutal and unpredictable decision”. While speaking to radio station Franceinfo, Le Drian said that it was a “stab in the back”, and added that France had established a relationship of trust with Australia and it has now been “betrayed”.

The French Foreign Minister also compared US President Joe Biden to former President Donald Trump over the agreement, recalling the frequent unilateral decision of the prior administration. However, the Biden administration officials have said that they gave France advanced notice of the pact before Wednesday’s announcement. Both US and Australia have indicated that the French government wasn’t blindsided and said that high-ranking French officials were made aware of the decision by the Australian government. 

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