Biden's New Security Deal Leads to Snubbing from France with Cancellation of Commemorative Event
French officials in Washington are so angry over a new security deal between the U.S., U.K. and Australia that they canceled a gala set for Friday at their embassy in D.C.
The New York Times reported that the event was supposed to commemorate the 240th anniversary of a Revolutionary War battle between French and British forces.
The frustration arose because the new security deal canceled a long-standing submarine contract between France and Australia, replacing it with the new trilateral agreement.
“It was a stab in the back,” French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drain told Franceinfo on Thursday.
“We had established a relationship of trust with Australia. This trust has been betrayed.”
The new agreement, unveiled Wednesday by President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, enables the U.S. and U.K. to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines to better counter China’s growing military presence in the region.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Thursday that American officials had spoken to their French counterparts ahead of the announcement.
“I’ll leave it to our Australian partners to describe why they sought this new technology,” Blinken said at a news conference.
“But as the president said and I want to emphasize again, we cooperate incredibly closely with France on many shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific but also around the world.”
Content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of the DCNF’s original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
A version of this article appeared on the Daily Caller News Foundation website.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
