French-Greek arms deal will take place despite US offer
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Greece will honor a contract to buy three frigates from France, despite a competing US offer threatening to overturn the deal.
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Naval Group's Belharra frigate, developed for the French Navy and the export market
France's armed forces ministry told AFP that "since we have been in discussion with the Greeks, the American offer is no longer on the table... We also signed the contract with the Greeks. It was initialed a few days ago."
The Greek Prime Minister also commented on the deal, saying "It has been done at the highest possible level."
Australia had also announced yesterday that it will be replacing its fleet of EU Taipan helicopters with 40 US Black Hawks and 12 Seahawks.
Today's announcement suggested France faced another arms deal threat after the US snatched a massive submarine contract for Australia in September, which sparked the AUKUS row between Washington, London, Canberra, and Paris.
France had recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia and labeled a "stab in the back" Australia's possibility of canceling what France had been calling "the deal of the century" to buy nuclear-powered submarines from the US instead.
Later in September, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis sealed a memorandum of understanding with French President Emmanuel Macron to buy three and possibly four French Belharra frigates for three billion euros ($3.5 billion).
Advance warning
France said that this time -- unlike for the Australian submarine deal -- the US gave Paris advance warning of its intent to present Greece with an offer.
"The Americans had warned us that this announcement was going to come out," the French armed forces ministry said. "They wrote to us, saying that 'as part of good relations, following the AUKUS problem, we are warning you'," adding that the US will not pursue the matter any further.
France's Belharra ships would be delivered to Greece in 2025 and 2026.
