Europe1 .fr with AFP 9:11 p.m., September 18, 2021

Guest of the 20 hours of France 2, Jean-Yves Le Drian, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, evoked the "serious crisis" caused by the brutal decision of Australia to cancel the "contract of the century" with France for the order of conventional submarines, for the benefit of American nuclear-powered submersibles. 

Jean-Yves Le Drian does not take offense.

The head of French diplomacy spoke on Saturday of the "serious crisis" caused by the torpedoing of a mega contract for submarines in Canberra, denouncing a "lie (...), a duplicity (...), a rupture major confidence "and a" contempt "on the part of the allies of France.

"When you have an ally, you don't treat him with such brutality"

Asked about France 2, Jean-Yves Le Drian thus justified the recall of the French ambassadors in Canberra and Washington by the fact that "there is a serious crisis between us". The recall of the French ambassador to London was, however, deemed unnecessary: ​​"we know their permanent opportunism", he quipped a few months after Brexit. The minister said he had been warned "an hour before" of the Australian statement. A decision that was particularly well guarded. "I am not sure that all the American and Australian ministers knew it", assured Jean-Yves Le Drian. "You can't play in alliances like that: we are allies. When you have an ally, you don't treat him with such brutality, such unpredictability."

Jean-Yves Le Drian compares Joe Biden's methods to those of Donald Trump

He also compared the methods of Joe Biden, the new president of the United States, to those of Donald Trump, "less tweets".

"It has a rather unbearable form of solemn declaration. There is reason to wonder about the strength of the alliance," concluded Jean-Yves Le Drian.

"The United States is refocusing its fundamental interests and reneging on a number of commitments it had at the global level ... But in a true alliance, we talk to each other."

The Minister of Foreign Affairs therefore judged that "what has just happened" would weigh on the definition of NATO's new strategic concept, without however evoking any exit from the Atlantic alliance.