The AUKUS deal between the US, Australia and the UK is causing ripples beyond French borders, driving a deep divide inside the Atlantic Alliance–a western coalition formed after World War II.
European Union (EU) chief Charles Michel has accused Washington of lack of loyalty after Australia cancelled a multi-billion contract with France to buy American nuclear-powered submarines.
In a scathing attack on the US, Michel told media persons at the United Nations: "The elementary principles for allies are transparency and trust, and it goes together. And what do we observe? We are observing a clear lack of transparency and loyalty".
The EU and France’s fury goes beyond the loss of a commercial defence deal, which follows the formation of the Au security alliance in the booming Indo-Pacific region to counter China. The problem is geo-strategic as it brings into the question the future of the US-led Atlantic Alliance, and its downstream institutions such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian declared on Monday that there is a “crisis of trust” with the US.
“There is a crisis of trust beyond the fact that the contract is being broken, as if Europe itself didn’t have any interest to defend in that region [Indo-Pacific],” he said.
Le Drian asserted that Europe should unite in prioritizing their own strategies and interests.
“The Europeans’ fundamental interests need to be taken into account by the US which is our ally. And the Europeans shall not be left behind in the strategy chosen by the US,” he said.
Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, EU’s executive branch expressed strong support for France.
“There are a lot of open questions that have to be answered. One of our member states has been treated in a way that is not acceptable,” she told CNN.
Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes, also shared her acute disappointment over the deal. Wilmes said that it was, "a thunderbolt first for France but also for Europe and for the world on a geostrategic level."
This is the second time that the Europeans feel miffed with the US in less than a month and they have made their displeasure known publicly.
The Joe Biden administration had earlier riled the Europeans when it refused to extend the Afghan pull-out date beyond August 31. European nations were concerned that they would not be able to evacuate their nationals and vulnerable Afghans in face of Taliban hostility. Even as they were hoping for an extension to the August 31 deadline, the US did not agree, setting off pangs of disappointment with Biden.
The dismay that the Europeans had felt with former US president Donald Trump is now beginning to follow Biden–surprising because both come from entirely opposite ideologies. Even as Trump had decided to move away from Europe and look within, Biden has reached out to Europe to mend the fences that Trump had damaged.
Michel hinted that Europe will have to build its own military capacity and added that the Europeans need "to clarify and to try to understand better what are the intentions behind this announcement".
Talking about Trump, Michel said: "at least it was really clear–the tone, the substance, the language–it was very clear that the EU was not in his opinion a useful partner, a useful ally".
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