White House says it wont drop Australia nuclear deal but Biden will call Macron after furious reaction

Joe Biden will call Emmanuel Macron in the coming days to “reaffirm” the United States’ commitment to France following the country’s dramatic reaction to a new nuclear alliance with Australia and the United Kingdom.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the leaders of the two countries would speak in the coming days, but that the US had no plans to abandon the “AUKUS” alliance that sunk France’s $90bn submarine contract with Australia

“What I expect the president will do on that call is reaffirm our commitment to working with one of our oldest and closest partners on a range of challenges that the global community is facing,” she said.

Asked if the US is responsible for “reparations” to make up for France’s economic loss over the cancelled contract, Ms Psaki said the administration understands that hundreds of jobs would be lost but that it would not be the focus of Mr Biden’s call with Mr Macron.

The call was requested by the US, and Ms Psaki said the two countries were working on scheduling before a time is confirmed.

It will be Mr Biden’s first discussion with Mr Macron since the AUKUS alliance was announced in conjunction with Australian prime minister Scott Morrison and UK prime minister Boris Johnson.

In response, France recalled its ambassadors from Australia and the US, and cancelled an event to mark the 240-year US-French relationship dating to the “Battle of the Capes”.

This is a developing story.

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