Australian prime minister: No regrets over submarine deal with US, UK

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday that he stands by his decision to move forward with a new trilateral security deal with the U.K. and U.S. and forgo another deal made with France in 2016. 

“I don’t regret the decision to put Australia’s national interest first,” Morrison said, according to Reuters.

The new deal will allow Australia to build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines with technology from the U.S. and the U.K., a move Morrison said will better serve Canberra against new threats in the Indo-Pacific, Reuters noted.

The earlier deal with France, worth $66 billion, was for 12 conventional diesel-electric submarines.

Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton also insisted on Sunday that his nation was “upfront, open and honest” about its concerns with the French submarines.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Saturday, however, criticized the “duplicity, disdain and lies” surrounding Australia’s decision to partner with the U.K. and U.S., according to The Associated Press.

France recalled its ambassadors from Australia and the United States following the announcement of the trilateral deal.

President Biden is expected to have a call with French President Emmanuel Macron in the next few days amid tensions between the two nations.