French President Emmanuel Macron threw diplomacy aside at the G-20 summit in Rome on Sunday, bluntly saying Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison lied about a broken submarine deal.
Approached by reporters in the halls, the French leader did not hide his feelings of betrayal after Australia aligned itself with the US and the UK in a contract for nuclear subs. The canceled arrangement cost France billions.
When a reporter asked him directly if he thinks Morrison lied to him before abandoning the deal, Macron snapped, “I don’t think. I know.”
Morrison later denied lying and claimed he had informed Macron that his nation did not require conventional subs, according to CNN.
“I was very clear that what was going to be provided to us was not going to meet our strategic interests, and there was still a process we were engaged in, and we then engaged in, over the months that followed,” Morrison said. “And then we communicated to him (Macron) our ultimate decision.”
“I make no apologies for getting the right result for Australia,” he added.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden called the handling of the new deal clumsy. He said he thought France was aware of the contract cancelation.