US President Joe Biden asked his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron for a phone interview on the so-called submarine affair. The call will be made in one of the following days.
Macron will seek clarifications over what appears to be a “serious breach of trust,” according to his spokesman. France on Friday recalled all its ambassadors from the United States and Australia after the latter canceled a multi-billion dollar contract to buy French submarines under a new alliance with the United States and the United Kingdom.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison responded Sunday to Paris accusations that his country played a double match against the French. I think they were well aware that we had serious concerns that the (French) submarine’s capabilities were not in our strategic interest. We have made it clear to them that we will decide based on our national strategic interest.”
“I do not regret my decision to put Australia’s national interest first. I will never regret it,” Morrison said, saying he had been “careless” in defying the advice of Australia’s intelligence and defense services. Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton emphasized that the country was fair and open and expressed He expressed his concerns to France about the submarine deal, which cost more than the initial budget and was years behind schedule.
French submarines will be powered by conventional diesel and electric power source. Equipment that the country can buy from the United States is powered by a nuclear reactor, which gives it greater autonomy.
