The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday he remains confident the AUKUS nuclear submarine pact with the United States and Britain will move forward after talks with his British counterpart, Keir Starmer.
Albanese, speaking in London, said the meeting was an
opportunity to highlight “strongly building” support for the agreement between
the two allies. He declined to comment on the position of U.S. President Donald
Trump, whose administration is reviewing the pact.
The AUKUS deal, announced in 2021, is designed to give
Australia nuclear-powered attack submarines starting in the next decade to
counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. Washington is due to sell
several Virginia-class submarines to Canberra, while Britain and Australia will
later build a new joint AUKUS-class vessel.
Trump’s administration has launched a formal review led by
Elbridge Colby, a senior Pentagon policy official and vocal critic of the
agreement.
Asked if his meeting with Starmer boosted his confidence,
Albanese said: “I have always been confident about AUKUS going ahead. Every
meeting I’ve had and discussions I’ve had with people in the U.S.
administration have always been positive about AUKUS,” according to an official
transcript.
The pact, worth hundreds of billions of dollars, was further
reinforced in July when Australia and Britain signed a treaty to deepen
cooperation over the next 50 years.
Albanese is also expected to meet King Charles, Australia’s
official head of state, during his visit.
