The diplomatic crisis continues after the cancellation by Canberra of a contract for the supply of 12 French submarines and the establishment of a strategic partnership between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

A meeting scheduled this week in London between the Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly and her British counterpart Ben Wallace has thus been canceled at the request of Paris, we learned on Sunday from a source at the French ministry.

In London, a source at the Ministry of Defense assured that he could neither deny nor confirm this cancellation.

“The United Kingdom remains in conversation with its French counterpart on these meetings.

We continue to have a close and fruitful defense relationship with France, which remains a trusted ally, ”she said.

London's "ineradicable" love for Paris

For the sake of appeasement, the British Prime Minister for his part underlined on Sunday the "immense importance" of the relationship between the United Kingdom and France, and the "ineradicable" love of London for Paris.

The two countries have "a very friendly relationship," Boris Johnson told reporters on the plane that took him to New York, where he is to attend the UN General Assembly and meet Joe Biden at the White House.

The partnership between the three countries, with the aim of countering China, "is by no means intended to be a zero sum, it is not intended to be exclusionary," Boris Johnson said, "it is not something anyone has to worry about and especially not our French friends ”.

But it is not certain that the Prime Minister's words are enough.

On Saturday, the head of French diplomacy Jean-Yves Le Drian had directly scratched Britain, deeming it unnecessary to recall his ambassador to London as he had done with those in Washington and Canberra.

“We know their permanent opportunism,” he quipped a few months after Brexit.

"Great Britain in this affair is all the same a bit like the fifth wheel of the coach."

World

"Telephone exchange" between Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron in the coming days

World

How diplomatic tension between France and the United States is escalating

  • Diplomacy

  • UK

  • Army

  • Video

  • Florence parly

  • World

  • Submarine