France Recalls Its US, Australia Ambassadors amidst Submarines Fiasco

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It seems that the aftermath of the submarine deal between Australia and the US is now further escalating.

After condemning the deal and the “breach of trust,” describing the affair as a display of “lack of coherence,” France has taken the unprecedented move of recalling its ambassadors from the US and Australia, as reported by AFP.

Tensions between France and its two allies are simmering, as a previous $50 billion deal described by the French as the "contract of the century" was suddenly scrapped on Wednesday in favor of a US one. 

The new deal, which involves selling Australia a set of nuclear-powered submarines, aims at strengthening the Asian island’s offensive capabilities against China under the AUKUS arrangement involving the US, UK, and Australia. 

In 2016, Australia signed a deal with France stipulating that the EU country will provide it with 12 diesel-powered submarines to replace its old fleet. The deal has been reconfirmed only two weeks ago, which is why the US move has truly surprised Macron’s administration. 

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called the Biden move as something “Mr. Trump would do.” In protest, French officials canceled a gala scheduled for Friday evening in Washington DC.

The recalling of the ambassadors is seemingly a retaliatory move that might precede many to come.