Submarine crisis: Joe Biden's silence on France

US President Joe Biden receives British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the Oval Office of the White House, September 21, 2021. AFP - NICHOLAS KAMM

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

Busy diplomatic day for the US president on Tuesday, September 21.

After his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Joe Biden met with his partners in the new trilateral pact for the Indo-Pacific, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and British head of government Boris Johnson.

Nothing on the other hand on the crisis with France, which results from this pact.  

Advertising

Read more

With our correspondent in Washington,

Guillaume Naudin

This is what the Anglo-Saxons call " 

the elephant in the room

 ", which is what everyone thinks about, but nobody talks about.

The elephant is France.

As Joe Biden tries to convince that America is back and that its main strength lies in its alliances, the diplomatic crisis with Paris is never mentioned, but it is there in hollow.

In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, the American President

insisted on the need to cooperate

, to work together, on the importance of the transatlantic partnership and of the European Union as an interlocutor.

► 

To listen: Crisis of the Australian submarines: "Biden is like Trump, it is America First"

No phone call scheduled with Emmanuel Macron yet

But there are the speeches and there is the agenda.

First, a meeting in New York with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morisson, who denounced the contract to purchase submarines from France in favor of a new contract with the United States.

Then, back in Washington, a few courtesies exchanged with the third partner, the head of the British government Boris Johnson.

However, no answer to the reporters' questions on the outrageous reaction of Paris and the recall of its ambassador.

It must be said that Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron have still not spoken to each other and that no phone call is yet on the agenda. 

►

See also: UN General Assembly: Macron, active absence against the backdrop of the Indo-Pacific crisis

Newsletter

Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

  • United States

  • Joe biden

  • Australia

  • Scott Morrison

  • UK

  • Boris Johnson

  • France

  • Emmanuel Macron

  • Defense

  • UN