The White House, which had secretly intervened with Finland to win the tender for its fighter jets, could step aside in France’s favor in compensation for the breach of its conventional submarines contract with Australia.
As reported by Politico, fifteen US parliamentarians, headed by Marc Veasey (D-Texas) and Michael Turner (R-Ohio), had been given a push by the White House to secure the deal.
Five companies are in the race: Boeing (F / A-18EF Super Hornet), Lockheed Martin (F-35 Lightning II), Dassault (Rafale), Eurofighter (Typhoon), and Saab (Gripen E / F).
However, given the scandal triggered by the unilateral termination – brought on by the AUKUS pact – of the contract for the submarines purchased by Australia, compounded by the incident between France and Switzerland over the latter’s purchase of US F-35 aircraft instead of the French Rafale, the Biden administration is expected to let France win in Finland, as a consolation prize.
According to the SonntagsZeitung [1] and Le Matin Dimanche [2], President Emmanuel Macron is supposed to have canceled this week the summit meeting scheduled for November with Swiss Federal Council President Guy Parmelin. Meanwhile, the French Ambassador to Bern, Frédéric Journès, has allegedly stated that no contacts at this level would take place during the first half of 2022, that is during the French presidency of the European Council. Unconvincingly, the Élysée rectified this information by alluding to a timing problem.