Europe cannot count on the United States to guarantee its protection, according to France

"What happened in Afghanistan and the submarine issue show that we can no longer count on the United States to guarantee our protection," said French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire.

The crisis generated by the Aukus submarine agreement shows that the European Union should not count on the United States to ensure its protection, said the French Minister of Economy, Bruno Le Maire, this Thursday (09/23/2021).

"The first lesson to be learned from this issue is that the European Union must build its strategic independence. What happened in Afghanistan and the submarine issue show that we can no longer count on the United States to guarantee our protection," said Le Maire. to the radio station Franceinfo.

"The United States has only one strategic concern: China, containing China's rise in power," the minister added. Both former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden "believe that their allies must be docile and we must be independent," he said.

On Wednesday, Biden and Macron had a telephone conversation that the US president called "friendly" aimed at restoring confidence after the submarine crisis. The leaders agreed to meet in October in Europe .

After this exchange between the two leaders, France decided that its ambassador in Washington, called for consultations, return to the United States.

Source consulted www.dw.com

afp / efe