French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Saturday accused the United States and Australia of “lying in a serious crisis” as the submarine row between the countries escalates further.

On Friday, France had recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia as both the countries signed a pact that deprived Paris of a multi-billion dollar deal for developing the submarines for Canberra.

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According to a report by AFP on Saturday, Le Drian said that both the countries are “lying in serious crisis”. He also accused Britain, the third party in the deal, of constant opportunism.

He said that NATO, of which all France, the UK and the US are members, will have to take the submarine crisis into account while looking at the matter.

Australia had notified France that it would end its contract with state majority-owned DCNS to build 12 of the world’s largest conventional submarines. Australia has spent 2.4 billion Australian dollars ($1.8 billion) on the project since the French won the contract in 2016.

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France has pushed for several years for a European strategy for boosting economic, political, and defense ties in the region stretching from India and China to Japan and New Zealand. The European Union unveiled a plan for the Indo-Pacific this week.

According to a French diplomat quoted by AP, the French President received a letter from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday, stating that the country has decided to cancel the submarine deal.

The French officials were reportedly in discussion with the Pentagon just hours before the public announcement by Biden.

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A recall of ambassadors is highly unusual between allied countries. In 2019, Paris recalled its envoy to neighboring Italy after the country’s leaders made critical public comments about the French government. Last year, France recalled its ambassador to Turkey after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Macron needed mental health treatment.