French ambassador accuses Australia of deceit over submarine deal

French Ambassador in charge of the G7 summit preparations Jean-Pierre Thebault speaks on his mobile phone while working in Biarritz, France August 25, 2019. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS

CANBERRA/SYDNEY (Reuters) - France's ambassador to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thebault, said on Wednesday that Australia acted with deceit when it abruptly cancelled a multi-billion dollar deal with Paris to build a fleet of submarines.

"The deceit was intentional," Thebault told media in Canberra on Wednesday.