By Simon LewisWASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Paris next week after ties between the United States and France were strained when Australia scrapped a French submarine contract in favor of a pact with Washington and London last month. Blinken will be joined by U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and other U.S. officials in Paris, Price said. Blinken will then head to Mexico for security talks next Friday. The United States, Australia and Britain on Sept. 15 announced a new security partnership for the Indo-Pacific region that would help Australia acquire U.S. nuclear-powered submarines and see it scrap its $40 billion deal to buy French-designed submarines. “The French have been very clear that they feel that trust has been disturbed,” Donfried said on a briefing call with reporters.

Source: MetroXpress October 01, 2021 13:52 UTC