France takes aim at Australia two years after the bitter fallout over submarines

France has accused Australia of undermining its relationship with NATO by supporting a UN treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons.

Anthony Albanese and Emmanuel Macron before their bilateral meeting during the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi in September. Picture: AFP

France has accused Australia of undermining its relationship with NATO and deterrence against Russia in Ukraine by supporting a fresh UN treaty to prohibit ­nuclear weapons, warning Canberra risks upsetting the longstanding system for non-proliferation.

The surprise accusation comes at a time when both countries seek to restore the relationship that was fractured in 2021 when Australia cancelled the deal to ­acquire French submarines.

Paris also says Australia’s support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons under­mines the primacy of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which has been in force since 1968 and sets the rules for the spread of ­nuclear weapons worldwide.

The TPNW is an aspirational ambition for a world without ­nuclear weapons, and came into force in 2021 backed by 93 nations.

None of the world’s nuclear powers, including France, have signed on and almost no European nations have ratified it.

But the major nuclear powers and Australia are all signatories to the NPT.

The former Coalition government opposed the treaty but ­Anthony Albanese has backed it, saying Australia’s support for the treaty was “Labor at its best”.

A senior French diplomat told The Australian during a briefing in Paris that Australia’s decision to act as an observer at a meeting of parties to the TPNW in New York next month was a “contradiction” in Australia’s foreign policy.

“Observers to the TPNW de facto commit themselves to support the promotion of this treaty as they are requested to financially support it”, the French official said.

“From our viewpoint, there is a contradiction between such a move and the support to the ­primacy of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty/NPT, which ­offers the only credible and ­responsible path to nuclear disarmament.

“It is also contradictory with Australia’s ambition to reinforce its partnership with NATO, which is and remains a nuclear ­alliance and whose credible ­nuclear deterrence and defence posture are key in the context of Russia’s war of aggression.”

France’s blunt criticism comes as the Albanese government hedges on whether to sign and ratify the controversial nuclear prohibition treaty despite supporting it in theory.

The government says it is “systematically and methodically” considering whether to ratify the TPNW.

However, the US opposes the treaty and has told Australia it could undermine defence links with its nuclear-armed US military at a time when both countries are committed to the AUKUS pact to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

Just last month, the Prime Minister met French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Delhi, with Mr Albanese later tweeting a picture of them hugging, saying that they “both share a vision for a stable, open and prosperous Pacific region”.

Australia seeks to strengthen its relations with NATO, with Mr Albanese attending the NATO summit in Vilnius in July where he emphasised Australia’s opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government “shares the TPNW’s ambition for a world without nuclear weapons”, but said it was still considering whether to ratify it.

“The government will consider the TPNW systematically and methodically as a part of our ambitious agenda to advance nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, including questions around the TPNW’s universality, its interaction with the NPT and the need to ensure an effective verification and enforcement architecture” Senator Wong told The Australian.

The Labor Party adopted a resolution in 2018 to sign the TPNW when in government and attended as an observer at the first meeting of the treaty in Vienna in June last year.

The government made the decision to send an observer delegation to that meeting despite foreign ministry officials warning that the move would carry “significant risks”, according to documents released under freedom-of-information laws.

The government’s delay in ratifying the treaty has been criticised by former Labor MP Melissa Parke, who is now executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

Ms Parke said last month that the Albanese government “should be doing much more” and needed to urgently commit to a timeline for signing it.

“Given the deteriorating international security environment, it’s all the more important for countries like Australia to be promoting nuclear disarmament in a meaningful way, not just paying lip service to it,” Ms Parke said.

Despite the criticism over Australia’s support for the TPNW, French diplomatic sources said the relationship was slowly getting back on track.

But a French diplomatic source also said it was clear Australia had hitched its strategic partnership to America, leaving only limited opportunities for France to rebuild and grow defence ties.

“We knew from day one that it wouldn’t be an easy process after AUKUS but we are back on a positive and comprehensive path even if this path will need further improvement and deepening,” the diplomat said.