France weighs Australia options, urges Britain to restore trust

FILE PHOTO: French Junior Minister for European Affairs Clement Beaune speaks during a press conference to outline France's strategy for the deployment of future COVID-19 vaccines, in Paris as the coronavirus disease outbreak continues in France, December 3, 2020. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/Pool

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - France is assessing all options in response to Australia's scrapping of a $40 billion submarine contract, French European affairs minister Clement Beaune said on Tuesday, while urging Britain to respect its post-Brexit commitments.

Australia said last week it would cancel an order for conventional submarines from France and build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines with U.S. and British technology under a new security partnership named AUKUS.