France on Friday recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia after President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a joint submarine deal that French leaders said was tantamount to a stab in the back.
Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said he was directed by President Emmanuel Macron to recall the ambassadors—a move that is typically reserved only for extreme cases and usually against adversaries—in protest of the deal. Le Drian and others have argued that neither the United States, nor Australia consulted with France beforehand.
