Macron and Modi Vow to ‘Act Jointly’ after Subs Dispute

The French-Indian talks come in the middle of a spat between Paris, Washington and Canberra over French submarines. (Naval Group/AFP)
The French-Indian talks come in the middle of a spat between Paris, Washington and Canberra over French submarines. (Naval Group/AFP)
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Macron and Modi Vow to ‘Act Jointly’ after Subs Dispute

The French-Indian talks come in the middle of a spat between Paris, Washington and Canberra over French submarines. (Naval Group/AFP)
The French-Indian talks come in the middle of a spat between Paris, Washington and Canberra over French submarines. (Naval Group/AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday vowed to “act jointly” in the Indo-Pacific region, as a row intensified with Australia and the US over a ditched submarine contract.

Macron’s telephone talks with Modi were timed conspicuously as French anger over an Australian cancellation of a submarine contract in favor of US submarines as part of an alliance with Washington and the UK appeared undiminished.

US officials have said US President Joe Biden is seeking a phone call with Macron to ease tensions, while Macron has taken the unprecedented step of recalling France’s ambassadors to Australia and the United States.

The French presidency said Macron and Modi agreed they would “act jointly in an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific area”.

Macron assured Modi of France’s continued “commitment to the strengthening of India’s strategic autonomy, including its industry and technology base, as part of a close relationship based on trust and mutual respect”.

The statement from Macron’s office said their shared approach was aimed at promoting “regional stability and the rule of law, while ruling out any form of hegemony”.

Calling Macron “my friend” in a tweet, Modi said India placed “great value on our strategic partnership with France”.

Modi’s office added in a statement that both countries had an “important role” for stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

AUKUS, the new three-way strategic alliance between Washington, Canberra and London is seen aimed at countering the rising power of China.

Paris has in the last years sought to tighten ties with India: In 2016 the two sides signed a multi-billion-dollar deal for 36 French Rafale fighter jets for New Delhi.

While the agreement is under investigation in France over kickback allegations, it is viewed as a commercial and diplomatic success for Paris.

Indian media have speculated that Australia’s cancellation of the submarine deal could spark a French-Indian submarines agreement.

France seeking ‘clarification’
France accused its allies of a “stab in the back” after learning the US had secretly led talks about the new strategic alliance and struck the deal for the delivery of American nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.

Australia informed France only hours before pulling out of the submarines deal, according to the French government.

In the upcoming call with Biden, Macron will demand “clarifications”, his political advisor Stephane Sejourne said on Tuesday, adding it would not be “a reconciliation talk”.

He said the way the French-Australian deal was cancelled raised many questions “including about the concept of what it means to be an ally of the Americans”.

Behind the scuppered contract were deeper differences about strategies in the Indo-Pacific, he said.

France, which has a presence in the region through overseas territories such as New Caledonia, has been trying to calm down tensions in the area, but “the United States is in more of a confrontation with China”, Sejourne said.

French defense ministry spokesman Herve Grandjean wrote on Twitter that the reneged deal was “bad news” for Australia.

“The first Attack submarines were to be delivered by 2030. With this new AUKUS partnership, it will be more like 2040. That’s a long time, when you see how fast China is militarizing,” he said.

European ministers rallied around France as the submarines dispute threatened to delay trade talks with Washington and Canberra.

German Europe Minister Michael Roth said France’s diplomatic crisis with the US was a “wake-up call for all of us” to unite an often-divided EU on foreign and security policy.

French submarine maker Naval Group has started talks about a financial settlement with Canberra, the French defense ministry said.

Naval Group had already completed 900 million euros ($1.1 billion) worth of work on the submarines, it said, but suffered no losses as the work was covered by Australian payments already made.

But calling the pullout “a betrayal”, the ministry said the talks would now determine the size of “compensations and damages” owed by Australia.



Death Toll from US Winter Storms Grows to 14

HYDEN, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 17: A flooded road that leads to a neighborhood is seen on February 17, 2025 in Hyden, Kentucky. (Photo by Jon Cherry / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
HYDEN, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 17: A flooded road that leads to a neighborhood is seen on February 17, 2025 in Hyden, Kentucky. (Photo by Jon Cherry / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
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Death Toll from US Winter Storms Grows to 14

HYDEN, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 17: A flooded road that leads to a neighborhood is seen on February 17, 2025 in Hyden, Kentucky. (Photo by Jon Cherry / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
HYDEN, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 17: A flooded road that leads to a neighborhood is seen on February 17, 2025 in Hyden, Kentucky. (Photo by Jon Cherry / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

The death toll from powerful winter storms in the central and eastern United States has risen to at least 14, officials said Monday, after floods, gale-force winds and bitterly cold temperatures swept the region.

The National Weather Service (NWS) warned on Monday of a winter storm system carrying arctic air that would cause "record cold," with wind chill expected to hit as low as -60 degrees Fahrenheit (-51 degrees Celsius) in Montana and North Dakota.

"I've got more tough news. The death toll in Kentucky has now risen to 12," said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear in a social media post on Monday, raising the toll from eight a day earlier.

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey said on Monday his state had also seen at least one death from the weather, AFP reported.

"We have one confirmed fatality at this time," he told a press briefing, warning that further flooding was expected. "There are still several people who are missing."

In addition, one person died in the southern city of Atlanta, Georgia. The victim was killed when an "extremely large" tree fell on his house early Sunday, fire official Scott Powell told local media.

Most of the dead in Kentucky, Beshear said in an earlier news conference, drowned when trapped in their vehicles by fast-rising floodwaters. The victims included a mother and her child.

The governor urged people to stay off roads across the state, where local and federal authorities have declared a state of emergency.

Beshear said more than 1,000 people had been rescued by first responders within 24 hours.

In its Monday advisory, the NWS warned that the cold weather system would impact a vast area, sending temperatures tumbling in the central plains, the eastern seaboard and as far south as the Gulf coast.

"A bitter cold arctic airmass is expected to continue impacting the north-central US while also spreading further south and east over the next few days," the advisory said.

Power to thousands of homes had been restored by Monday, but more than 50,000 customers remained without electricity in the states of West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland, according to monitoring website poweroutage.us.