‘Crisis of trust’: France bristles at US submarine deal

By EDITH M. LEDERER and JENNIFER PELTZ
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — France’s top diplomat says there is a “crisis of trust” in the United States after a Pacific defense deal stung France and left Europe wondering about its longtime ally across the Atlantic. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also said at a news conference that European countries won’t let Washington leave them behind when shaping its foreign policy. Speaking in New York, he reiterated complaints that his country was sandbagged by the submarine deal between the U.S., Britain and Australia that is costing France its own contract with Australia. The deal has widely been seen as an effort by the U.S., Britain and Australia to counter an increasingly assertive China.