Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

'What We Did Was Clumsy': Biden Calls France an 'Extremely Valued Partner' in Wake of AUKUS Fallout

'What We Did Was Clumsy': Biden Calls France an 'Extremely Valued Partner' in Wake of AUKUS Fallout

Last month, relations between France and the United States slipped to lows not seen in decades after Washington, London, and Canberra secretly signed a security pact which robbed France's defence sector of a submarine contract with Australia worth tens of billions of dollars.

President Joe Biden has admitted that the US acted in a "clumsy" manner regarding the AUKUS security pact, and assured Paris that Washington does not have an older or more loyal ally than France.

"Sitting alongside French President Emmanuel Macron at the French Embassy to the Vatican on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome on Friday in their first face-to-face meeting since the AUKUS dust-up began last month, Biden claimed that he was "under the impression that France had been informed long before that the [French-Australian sub] deal would not go through."

"I, honest to God, did not know you had not been," he insisted.

"To use an English phrase, what we did was clumsy, not done with a lot of grace," Biden said.

The US president stressed that "there is no place in the world where we can't work together," and insisted that "we have no older, more loyal and decent ally than France."

Macron called the rendezvous with Biden "an important meeting" following two telephone conversations they'd held in September and October, and stressed the need to "look ahead to the future" after agreeing to a "common effort, a political response and strengthened cooperation between the US and France."

Macron praised Biden over what he said were "concrete decisions" taken by Washington to improve confidence between the two NATO allies.

"What really matters now is what we will do together in the coming weeks, the coming months, the coming years," he said.

Ahead of the meeting, a French security official told media that Macron would expect a new commitment from the US to support French anti-terrorism operations in the Sahel – including greater intelligence and military cooperation.

Along with AUKUS and the Sahel, the two leaders were also expected to discuss cooperation against China in the Indo-Pacific, as well as Iran's peaceful nuclear programme and the crisis in Afghanistan.

Stitching Up the 'Stab in the Back'


France lost out on a deisel-electric submarine deal with Australia worth over $65 billion last month after Canberra, London, and Washington announced the creation of a new security pact known as AUKUS, under which Australia would receive US and British nuclear reactor technology to build the subs in its own shipyards.

Paris deemed the agreement, which was negotiated in total secrecy from AUKUS's allies, as a "stab in the back," and accused Canberra of falsely assuring France that the sub deal was still in place even after it became clear that the security pact would lead the country to cancel the order. France briefly pulled its ambassadors to the US and Australia over the perceived betrayal, with some opposition lawmakers urging tough steps – up to and including potential withdrawal from NATO, over the slight.

Last month, Jordan Bardella, interim president of Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National - Macron's top challenger in the upcoming 2022 presidential elections, told Europe 1 that the AUKUS scandal made it "necessary to question our NATO membership."

"For 20 years we have been following the United States to the letter," Bardella said, adding that it was time for the country to regain "the means of its freedom."

Macron and Le Pen are polling neck and neck ahead of the April vote, with a Harris-Interactive poll carried out in the week ending 13 October showing Macron leading by less than three percentage points.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
×