In a speech made at the National Press Club of Australia, Thebault bluntly stated that “the deceit was intentional,” and questioned, “what, after such events, can any partner of Australia now think, is the value of Australia's signature?"
The speech deepens a fractured relationship between Australia and France and, to a lesser degree, the United Kingdom and the US.
In mid-September, Australia canceled a $90 billion deal with France to build 12 diesel-powered submarines that was projected to extend into the 2050s.
Australia instead opted for nuclear-powered submarines through the formation of AUKUS, a trilateral security pact between the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. France’s reaction was swift, as they recalled their ambassadors to Australia and the United States days after the announcement of the alliance.
Thebault described Australia’s behavior as, “keeping us in the dark, or on the back burner,” and that the deal had “far more at stake than providing submarines because it was a common agreement on sovereignty...the way it was handled was plainly a stab in the back.”
Thebault acknowledged that Australia is free to go about their national defense as they see fit, but made the claim that Australia did not “ever consult with France when there were countless opportunities,...or without even looked with alternatives with France. Is just out of this world.”
The fallout from AUKUS has left relations between Australia and France in tatter, as the rhetoric from France does not appear to be easing up.