'Donnez moi un break' Johnson tells France amid submarine deal outcry

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, right greets French President Emmanuel Macron prior to the Leaders official welcome and group photo session, during the G7 summit
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, right greets French President Emmanuel Macron prior to the Leaders official welcome and group photo session, during the G7 summit Copyright Credit: AP
By Euronews with AP, AFP
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button
Copy/paste the article video embed link below:Copy to clipboardCopied

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told France to 'donnez moi un break' and get over its anger over the cancellation of a submarine deal between Paris and Canberra.

ADVERTISEMENT

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has mocked France's reaction to a new security pact that will see Australia cancel a multibillion-dollar deal to buy French conventional submarines and acquire US nuclear-powered vessels instead.

"I just think it's time for some of our dearest friends around the world to, you know, 'prenez un grip' about all this and 'donnez-moi un break,' because this is fundamentally a great step forward for global security," Johnson told reporters as he visited Washington on Wednesday.

The French government has suggested it was betrayed by the deal and recalled its ambassadors to Washington and Canberra in a show of anger.

"It's three very like-minded allies standing shoulder-to-shoulder, creating a new partnership for the sharing of technology. It is not exclusive. It is not trying to shoulder anybody out. It is not adversarial towards China, for instance. It is there to intensify links and friendship between three countries in a way that I think will be beneficial for things that we believe in," Johnson went on.

US President Joe Biden and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron are due to speak later on Wednesday by telephone for the first time since the row erupted, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said.

It will be "an exchange of clarification, clarifying both the conditions under which this announcement was decided and made, and also clarifying the conditions of an American re-engagement in a relationship of allies," Attal told reporters at a regular press briefing on Wednesday.

Share this articleComments

You might also like

French ambassador to return to Washington after Macron and Biden vow to ease tensions

French budget deficit rose to 5.5% in 2023

'Disturbing': Rough sleepers and migrants removed from Paris ahead of Olympics