US leader Joe Biden has invited French President Emmanuel Macron to hold telephone talks after Canberra terminated a submarine contract with the Naval Group, said French government spokesman Gabriel Attal.
“The phone call will take place in the coming days,” he told BFMTV.
This week, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson, the President of the United States Joe Biden and the Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison announced the creation of a new AUUKUS partnership in the field of defense and security. The first initiative will be the creation of nuclear submarines for the Australian Navy – for this Canberra has abandoned an agreement with France to purchase non-nuclear submarines for almost $ 66 billion.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called Australia’s decision “a blow to the back”, saying he was “angry”. On Friday, for the first time in history, France recalled ambassadors to the United States and Australia for consultations.
White House National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horn also said that the US administration is in close contact with the French authorities and intends to dedicate the next few days to resolving the differences.