France rallies EU as trust in US, UK and Australia wanes

By LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — France’s European Union partners have agreed to put the country’s security spat with the U.S., Australia and Britain on top of the bloc’s political agenda in coming months. France says the Indo-Pacific deal between the three countries has sparked a crisis of trust. The deal will see Australia cancel a multibillion-dollar contract to buy diesel-electric French submarines and acquire U.S. nuclear-powered vessels instead. EU leaders are set to meet twice next month, in Slovenia on Oct. 6 and Brussels on Oct 21-22. French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune said Tuesday the fact the three countries have not kept their word “creates a breach of trust.”