Joe Biden Acted Like Donald Trump at Stab France in the Back, Official Says

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A French cabinet official compared President Joe Biden to Donald Trump and accused the United States of stabbing France in the back for leading Australia’s decision to abandon a multi-million dollar underwater program to a maker of the French ship.

In an interview with radio station franceinfo on Thursday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian channeled prevailing national sentiment and went on to describe Canberra’s abandonment of an agreement under the diesel submarine with the Naval Group of France as a betrayal of trust.

“It was a real stab in the back. We created a relationship of trust with Australia, and that trust was betrayed,” Le Drian said.

“I am angry and bitter now. This is not something that allies do to each other,” the official added. “This brutal, unilateral and unpredictable decision reminds me a lot of what Mr. Trump is doing.”

President Joe Biden participated in a virtual press conference to announce the AUKUS trilateral defense partnership, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (both not in the frame), in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2021. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. appears to have begun heavy frustration and anger at France after Biden announced a new agreement for trilateral security – called AUKUS – on Wednesday, along with Australia’s Scott Morrison and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The leaders announced plans for the US and UK to export sensitive technologies and jointly deliver Canberra’s first fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, with the potential to create some equality between the Australian naval forces and the rapidly expanding navy blue waters.

But the decision came at the immediate cost of Australia’s contract with Naval Group, which said the Australian $ 90 billion ($ 65 billion) agreement – signed in 2016 – would not go ahead.

None of AUKUS’s official announcements were the need for urgency to round out China’s growing military presence throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The Chinese navy already has submarines with nuclear power and nuclear attack. Analysts believe Beijing’s opaque ambitions are among the key drivers that ultimately changed Australia’s calculus.

At a press conference on Thursday, Morrison acknowledged France’s failures but stressed the strategy inherent in the decision to join American submarine technology, which was not an option five years ago.

“Of course, they failed,” the prime minister said. “They’ve been good partners. It’s about our strategic interests, our necessary strategic capabilities and a changed strategic environment. And we have to make that decision.”

“I would like to emphasize that France remains an incredibly important partner in the Pacific,” he said, adding that he understands and respects the Paris disappointment.

He continued: “But as a prime minister I have to make decisions that are in the interest of Australia’s national security. I know that France will do the same. And I know, ultimately, that will be understood, and we will continue to work together for we have many shared goals and aspirations, because we generally share the same values, we share the same vision. “

According to observers in France, officials were justified in their frustration. Just two weeks ago, the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Defense of France and Australia reaffirmed commitments to deepen defense industry cooperation and also referenced the current submarine program.

Commentators in Australia said the deal was plagued by delays and cost increases. In France, Canberra’s challenging requirements – changes in specifications as well as a demand for local materials and production – are to blame for the issues.

After the AUKUS announcement, former French commander in Washington, Gérard Araud, tweeted: “The world is a jungle. France is only reminded of this bitter truth by the US and UK stabbing her. behind Australia. C ‘est la vie. “

On Thursday, Araud added: “What is remarkable is that the Biden administration has done nothing to prevent the scourge it has deliberately delivered to France. There are no consultants, no organization, no fees.”

Morrison was asked but did not respond to a query about the total compensation that Australia would have to pay the Naval Group for its seemingly abrupt decision.

President Joe Biden participated in a virtual press conference to announce the AUKUS trilateral defense partnership, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2021. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images

Meanwhile, Beijing has interpreted AUKUS in general and Australia’s future submarine fleet in particular as a sharp move targeting China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said trilateral cooperation on nuclear submarines was “strengthening the arms race” in the region. Zhao suggested that countries were creating bloc confrontation and questioned Australia’s promises of non -proliferation, despite Canberra’s insistence that it was not looking for nuclear weapons or a civilian nuclear capacity.

Morrison told reporters he had not spoken to the Chinese leadership about Australia’s plans but offered an “open invitation” to Xi Jinping to discuss the topic.

Asked about the prime minister’s statement, Zhao said the difficult situation facing bilateral relations between Beijing and Canberra was “the full responsibility of the Australian side.”

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