‘Declaration of war’: how UK’s secret nuclear pact blindsided Europe’s elite

However, the deal had been in the making for some time. The last time a country recalled an ambassador from a nominal ally was in 2019 when France recalled its Rome envoy after Italian deputy prime minister Luigi Di Maio met leaders of the French protest group Gilets Jaunes and made critical comments of Emmanuel Macron's government. Likewise, one should have understood that Australia would rather choose the USA than France if it had to decide on a protecting power in the new Cold War between China and the USA.” Meanwhile, Frankfurter Allgeine said the French “already had the champagne chilled” to celebrate the deal when they were blindsided by the announcement. French domestic politics Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe at the Eurasia Group political risk consultancy: “Macron’s decision to escalate is partly an electoral calculation, “He remembers Chirac gained popularity not just by refusing to invade Iraq, but by taking initiative and publicly disputing US strategy. “Macron is hoping to bring a large segment of French domestic opinion onto his side ahead of elections next April.” However, Jean-Dominique Merchet, a defence expert at L’Opinion newspaper, said the French reaction to the UK's role in the deal smacked of "jealousy".