Nuclear Submarines: Did the U.S. Stab Europe in the Back?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: There you are at the beginning of UNGA, and it’s clearly overshadowed by this AUKUS, as we have all been talking about for the last few days. You have already seen the French recall their key ambassadors over this issue, and China again saying, we don’t want nuclear technology in our backyard, and raising some very serious issues. Just on the E.U.-Australia cancellation, why did that happen?

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Well, there are a lot of open questions that have to be answered. And, therefore, I mean, one of our member states has been treated in a way that is not acceptable. So, we want to know what happened and why. And, therefore, you, first of all, clarify that before you keep on going with business as usual.

AMANPOUR: Do you feel that Europe has been dissed, that, yet again, the United States has not consulted you on an important move after Afghanistan, and that, most importantly, it might create division and allow China to seek division between new allies? Are you worried about that?

VON DER LEYEN: Well, I can very well understand the disappointment in Europe about the way this issue was handled. We’re friends and allies. And friends and allies, partners, talk to each other. And they talk to each other mainly on an issue of common interest. So this is clearly — this did clearly not happen. And I think we need to talk. But on the other hand, we also have, as you mentioned, many important topics on our global agenda where we’re working side by side, the health issue, be it climate change, working for our democracies. These are just a few examples.

AMANPOUR: Exactly. And I want to talk about how this may affect those agendas. But I want to know whether you think, talking about democracy and dictatorship, that this is a way that China could seek to create divisions between the democracies. What do you feel about that?

VON DER LEYEN: We will certainly not let that happen, because we know exactly who our friends and allies are, and we know that we have shared values, that we have common interests. These talks are going on, but, again, we also have to focus on the pressing global topics that we have to deal with. This is the topic of climate change. That is how to overcome the pandemic or, for example, the effect of the digitalization, just to name a few.