US moves to assure ‘vital partner’ France over submarine pact
Al Jazeera
At news conference with Australian officials, Secretary of State Antony Blinken says US ‘strongly’ welcomes European countries’ role in the Indo-Pacific..
France remains a “vital partner” to the United States on many issues, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said, as he sought to allay Paris’s anger at a security partnership between the US, the United Kingdom and Australia that did not include the European Union country.
At a joint news conference with top US and Australian officials on Thursday, Blinken said the US is looking to “find every opportunity” to deepen cooperation with France, including in the Indo-Pacific region.
It came a day after the announcement of a trilateral security alliance, dubbed “AUKUS”, that will see the US and the UK help produce nuclear-powered submarines for the Australian military.