‘Stab in the back’: French fury as Australia scraps submarine deal in favor of Biden's deal to sell nuclear subs to Australia

France has expressed fury over Australia’s surprise decision to scrap a huge submarine deal in favour of nuclear-powered subs from the US, describing it as a “stab in the back” from Canberra and a strain on its friendly relationship with Washington.

“It’s really a stab in the back. We had established a relationship of trust with Australia, this trust has been betrayed,” the French foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, told France Info radio on Thursday.

The EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, also expressed his disappointment, revealing that he only learned of the new alliance through the media.

“We regret not having been informed – not having been part of these talks,” Borrell said. “We weren’t included, we weren’t part and parcel of this.”

The announcement of a US, UK and Australia defence pact brought an abrupt and unexpected end to France’s A$90bn (£48bn) submarine contract with Australia, which was signed in 2016.

It is setback for the French president, Emmanuel Macron, not just in financial terms but also to French diplomacy, which had worked for years to secure the partnership with Australia and strengthen its strategic presence in the Indo-Pacific region.

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