GAUL-ING NAIVETÉ
Kerry: Joe didn’t know sub deal would irk French
He had not been aware of that, he literally, literally had not been aware of what had transpired. — John Kerry (standing behind
Biden) on the president’s ignorance of how Paris would react to the US sinking a French submarine deal with Australia
Call him Clueless Joe. US climate envoy John Kerry claims President Biden had no idea the US-UK-Australia submarine deal would upset the French government — and “had not been aware of what had transpired.”
Kerry made the comment as he and Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Paris in an effort to ease the diplomatic tensions.
Kerry was asked on French television Monday about the Biden administration’s agreement to sell subs to Australia, sparking that country to cancel a $40 billion deal with France.
“President Biden asked me about it, and I told him and expressed . . . ” Kerry started to say before the interviewer interrupted, “You told Joe Biden that it was not the right . . . ”
This time, Kerry interrupted: “He asked me. He said, ‘What’s the situation?’ and I explained exactly . . . He was, he had not been aware of that, he literally, literally had not been aware of what had transpired,” Kerry said, according to the National Review.
“And I don’t want to go into the details of it, but suffice it to say that the president . . . is very committed to strengthening the relationship and making sure that this is a small event of the past, and moving on to the much more important future.”
Kerry and Blinken are hoping to smooth the ruffled feathers of French officials because of the sub deal, which the French have called a “stab in the back.”
France recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia in protest and canceled a gala at its embassy in Washington marking the 240th anniversary of the Revolutionary War Battle of the Capes.
The blunder last month followed the Biden administration’s failure to inform many allies that it had planned to pull the US military out of Afghanistan by the end of August — an exit that culminated in a chaotic operation to evacuate Americans and Afghans as the Taliban took control.
Eventually, Biden had to call French President Emmanuel Macron to heal the rift.
“The two leaders agreed that the situation would have benefited from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners. President Biden conveyed his ongoing commitment in that regard,” the White House said about the Sept. 22 call.
Blinken met with Macron on Tuesday to assure him the relationship remains strong.
They “discussed steps forward in US-French relations, areas of continued close cooperation, and looked forward to President Macron’s upcoming meeting with President Biden,” the State Department said.