Boris Johnson has said France should get over its anger at a partnership between the UK, US and Australia that saw the latter pull out of a major contract with Paris for submarines.
“What I want to say about that is I just think it’s time for some of our dearest friends around the world to prenez un grip [get a grip] about all this and donnez-moi un break [give me a break],” the prime minister said when asked about the continuing row over the AUKUS initiative.
“This is fundamentally a great step forward for global security. It’s three very like-minded allies standing shoulder to shoulder and creating a new partnership for the sharing of technology.
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‘AUKUS alliance will bring us closer than ever’
“It’s not exclusive, it’s 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.”
The AUKUS deal saw the UK, Australia and the US form a trilateral security pact to develop and deploy nuclear-powered submarines, adding to the Western military presence in the Pacific region.
Nuclear-powered submarines are superior to their diesel counterparts, as they can operate more quietly and stay underwater for longer.
France recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia in a backlash over the new security partnership, with foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian describing it as a “stab in the back”.
