A day after US President Joe Biden appeared (virtually) alongside British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to unveil a strategic security partnership in the Pacific, under which Australia will receive submarines with American nuclear technology, Paris feels betrayed.
The reason for the difficult feeling in France is that the new security framework is in fact closing the door on a huge purchase deal, which has already been signed between Canberra and Paris.
Under the terms of the deal, which will not be implemented now, France was to build a fleet of submarines worth $ 40 billion to Australia.
Now as stated, Australia is in fact canceling the deal.
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"It's a knife in the back," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
"Do not do such things between allies," he added.
The French are also taking punitive action against the United States and the New York Times has announced to its counterparts the cancellation of a prestigious gala event to be held at the embassy in Washington to mark the 240th anniversary of the Battle of Chesapeake, one of the most famous battles of the American Revolutionary War. The French and British naval forces, ended in a French victory that effectively paved the way for the end of the war and the independence of the 13 colonies that rebelled against the British Crown.
The gala event was scheduled to take place today (Friday) on top of a French frigate in Baltimore, but a French source told the Times it would not take place.
Even a French official who was supposed to be present and had already arrived in the US for the occasion, will retrace his steps to Paris.
White House spokeswoman Jen Saki said Joe Biden intends to speak with his French counterpart Emanuel Macron "soon" and said Biden "does not think too much" about the French foreign minister's claim that his move is reminiscent of Donald Trump's actions against France.
She also added that Australia is the one that sought American technology instead of French.
