French Ambassador returns to Washington as US, France tensions ease over AUKUS Deal

France's Ambassador to the US, Philippe Etienne, has returned to Washington after being away for nearly two weeks due to a dispute between France and Australia over a US submarine contract with the latter, ANI reported, quoting a Sputnik. When French ambassador Etienne arrived at Dulles International Airport in Washington on September 29, he refused to answer journalists' questions.

On September 17, the ambassador was summoned to Paris, two days after Australia abandoned a $66 billion submarine deal with France in favour of a collaboration with the US and the UK under the AUKUS trilateral security alliance. The decision was viewed as a "stab in the back" by France, which also summoned its ambassador from Australia.

Following a phone call with United States' President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to send Etienne back to Washington on September 22. Last week, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian met with his American counterpart, Antony Blinken, to discuss the problem, adding that restoring trust between the two countries "will require time and action."

The AUKUS Deal

The US, UK, and Australia announced the foundation of AUKUS in mid-September as a forum for defence and security cooperation. In an effort to counter China, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia established a historic security alliance in the Asia-Pacific. It will enable Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines for the first time, utilising technology provided by the United States. According to observers, the Aukus agreement, which will also include AI and other technologies, is one of the most significant defence collaborations in decades. Moreover, Canberra made the news as it withdrew unilaterally from a $66 billion submarine deal with Paris in favour of supplying vehicles through the alliance.

Image: AP

(With inputs from ANI)