WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden was expected to speak Wednesday with French President Emmanuel Macron as the United States looks to stem the fallout from France’s fury over a deal to sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, according to a French official.
French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal said Macron expected “clarifications and clear commitments” from Biden on the call, which he said was requested by the White House.
“We expect of our allies that the exchanges and consultations that should have been conducted did not happen, and that raises the question of confidence,” Attal said Wednesday. “Therefore, it falls on all of us from now on to bear together the consequences.”
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The diplomatic spat between the U.S., and France erupted last week over the deal the Biden administration announced with Australia to provide that country with nuclear-powered submarines as part of a wider security pact that also included the United Kingdom. But the French had been expecting to be the ones to sell submarines to Australia under a 2016 contract.
French officials said they were blindsided by the announcement, which cost them the $66 billion agreement. In response, France recalled its ambassadors from the U.S. and Australia, and canceled a gala at its embassy in Washington.
The White House declined to comment on the call, but press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that officials from both countries were working to schedule one.
Nancy Ing contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
