France on Friday recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia for consultations in a ferocious row over the scrapping of a submarine contract, an unprecedented step that revealed the extent of French anger against its allies.
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President Emmanuel Macron ordered the recalling of the envoys after Canberra ditched a deal to buy French submarines in favor of US vessels, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.
Le Drian said that the decision was made to "immediately" recall the two French ambassadors due to "the exceptional seriousness of the announcements made on Sept. 15 by Australia and the United States".
US State Department Spokesman Ned Price said that France was a "vital ally" and that the US would be engaged in the coming days to resolve the differences.
Australia said on Saturday it regrets France's decision to recall its ambassador to Canberra, but it values its relationship with France and will keep engaging with Paris on many other issues.
