Aukus agreement, France goes to clash with the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Von der Leyen defends Paris: “unacceptable treatment”

Joe Biden Choose, at least for a moment, the path of silence, when Boris Johnson Instead, he is trying to patch up a rift that still seems far from recovering from the French backlash. The new strategic partnership Okos between United States of AmericaAnd Great Britain NS Australia which provides supply submarines a Canberra To counter the Chinese advance in the areaIndian and Pacific Oceans It caused a diplomatic crisis among the Allied countries due to the Australian decision to cancel the supply of vehicles produced by it Paris, with a total value of 56 billion euros, in favor of the means they produce Rolls-Royce NS BAE Systems.

Yesterday evening, the British Prime Minister reiterated the “tremendous importance” of the relationship between the United Kingdom and France Indomitable love From London to Paris, trying to quell the protests of the French government. That is why he specified that “this partnership does not want to have zero sum, You don’t want to be exclusionaryIt’s something we don’t have to worry about especially our French friends.” Instead, the European Commission president takes a stand in defense of France, Ursula von der Leyen, who described the treatment in Paris as “unacceptable”: “One of our member states was treated unacceptably, we want to know what happened and why” CNN He added that the situation must be clarified “before we continue to work as usual“.

White House sources reported that Biden “requested it.” Discussion with President Macron A way forward, to talk about his deep commitment to the US alliance with France.” Also an attempt to ease the tension that has arisen by direct conversation. “The President wants to express his desire to work closely with France in the Indo-Pacific and in the world – they explained – we will continue to commit With that in the coming days, we look forward to the phone call between President Biden and the President. Macron.”

But the Australian decision to scrap purchases of French vehicles weighs heavily on the board. It weighs 56 billion Emmanuel Macron to recall the French ambassadors in Canberra and Washington, a decision that usually marked the beginning of a diplomatic crisis. The government spokesman later indicated that the president of the Elysee would meet “in the next few days” with Biden to discuss the matter. Gabriel Atal. Philip EtienneThe ambassador across the Alps in Washington, after being called back to his country for talks, explained that the reason should lie in the executive’s desire to “assess the situation in our relations, and try to see the prospects. That is the reason why I was received by the Minister and the President of the Republic,” he told the microphones. column.

However, the diplomat wanted to stress that the government’s choice to summon him and his colleague in Canberra “was a sign The gravity of the moment And the size of our worries. The call is really an answer, there were some announcements, and then this call. We’ll have to keep talking about what’s going to happen.” This does not mean that among the chancellors there was one. break upBut it’s a serious enough time to opt for this kind of diplomatic gesture. The Americans themselves are concerned about maintaining their relations with France, a serious, reliable and reliable ally.” The ambassador then reiterated that France was “never informed” of Australia’s suspicions about the submarine order confirmation, and added that the United States “recognizes the importance of the contract for France, whether On an industrial level or in connection with our strategy. In the Indo-Pacific.” “We – and he concluded – need the Americans in Europe, but the Americans also have the desire to continue working with us.”

There were already contacts between the French government and the United States. Quoting an official by Washington Post The events that took place face to face last Thursday and Friday between the National Security Adviser in Washington confirmed, Jake SullivanAnd Ambassador Etienne was the last of them to inform the American of the diplomat’s return to Paris. While the foreign minister, Anthony BlinkHe was trying to talk to the foreign minister of Paris, Jean-Yves Le Drian, before Aukus’ announcement, but – according to US officials – there was no desire to arrange an interview from Paris. Le Drian was among the members of the French government who held back the harshest words toward the American president, arguing that his approach proved similar to that of his predecessor. Donald Trump, but “without tweets”.

Net message sent from Australia. Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce emphasized that “Australia does not need to prove its friendship And his strong desire to care about the freedom of France. We have tens of thousands of Australians who died on French soil or protected French territory in both World Wars I and II.”