Ex-Australia PM calls submarine deal with US a ‘foreign policy debacle’

Australia’s former prime minister Kevin Rudd has condemned his country’s submarine deal with the United States and said France had every right to be affronted over Australia backing out of a multibillion-euro submarine contract in favour of buying technology from the US for its nuclear-powered submarines. Rudd told FRANCE 24 that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s decision that triggered a dispute with France was a “foreign policy and national security debacle,” which should be probed by the parliament. Australian taxpayers had a right to know about the precise details of the decision, he said.

Morrison’s argument that a switch to the AUKUS (Australia-UK-US) alliance would meet Australia’s national security interests was not valid, Rudd said, as the threat from China was the main reason behind the initial submarine deal with France a decade ago. He said the scrapped deal would have lasting, damaging effects on Australia’s relationship with France.

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Rudd said the Morrison government should have notified the French government, and the French company building the submarines about its intentions to switch from diesel-powered to nuclear-powered submaries.

France has recalled its ambassador to the United States and called off a crucial defence meeting with the United Kingdom, which was scheduled for later this week, over an ongoing diplomatic row related to the AUKUS alliance.

French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to speak to US President Joe Biden in their first contact since the diplomatic crisis over the submarine deal .

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Sunday that France “would have had every reason to know that we have deep and grave concerns” about the capability of France’s Attack class subs, which he said can’t meet Australia’s strategic interests.

Hours after the AUKUS was announced, Chinese embassy in Washington said the security alliance reflected “Cold-War mentality and ideological prejudice.”