Submarine deal row: France accuses Australia, US of lying and duplicity
FirstpostThe move comes after Australia’s decision to break a 2016 deal for French submarines in favour of American nuclear-powered vessels Paris : France on Saturday accused Australia and the United States of lying over a ruptured Australian contract to buy French submarines, saying a grave crisis was under way between the allies. A White House official on Friday expressed “regret” over the French envoy’s recall but added: “We 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.” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a tweet that Washington understood France’s position and was in “close contact” with Paris. He added that the issue would be discussed “at the senior level”, including at the United Nations General Assembly next week, which both Le Drian and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend. Beijing described the new alliance as an “extremely irresponsible” threat to regional stability, questioning Australia’s commitment to nuclear non-proliferation and warning the Western allies that they risked “shooting themselves in the foot”.