French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday that it would take “time” and “actions” to repair ties with the U.S. in the wake of a submarine deal that undercut a French agreement to supply Australia with diesel subs.
Last week, the United States, United Kingdom and Australia announced a deal under which the U.K. and U.S. will instead supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.
The move angered France, which withdrew its ambassadors from the U.S. and Australia.
Earlier in the week, Le Drian expressed concern about what he characterized as “deceit” by one of its oldest allies.
He told reporters at the United Nations this week that the United States had gone behind France’s back and had hidden the new deal for months.
According to State Department spokesperson Ned Price, Le Drian and Blinken “spoke about plans for in-depth bilateral consultations on issues of strategic importance. They discussed the EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.”
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone in an attempt to rebuild trust between the NATO allies.
Some information for this report came from Reuters.
