US President Joe Biden was not aware of French uproar about the AUKUS submarine deal until after their outrage was made public.
France angrily withdrew its ambassadors in Canberra and Washington when its $90 billion contract with Australia was cancelled.
The US special envoy on climate John Kerry says the president was left out of the loop.
Mr Kerry told French media President Biden didn’t know about the response until he was informed by Mr Kerry personally.
“He said ‘what’s the situation’ and I explained exactly, he had not been aware of that, he literally had not been aware of what had transpired,” Mr Kerry said.