Turnbull Urges Australia to Threaten Submarine Deal Withdrawal in Trump Negotiations

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Tuesday that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should threaten to reconsider the country's $3 billion submarine payments to the United States if President Donald Trump refuses to remove tariffs on Australian goods.

In an ABC interview, Turnbull recommended Albanese take an aggressive negotiating stance when the leaders meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit Monday.

"We are giving US$3 billion with no strings attached to support your submarine industrial base," Turnbull said. "If you don't remove these tariffs, we will reconsider those payments."

Turnbull also suggested Australia should threaten to review its military base in Western Australia, which he said the country is providing "entirely at our cost" to the United States.

The comments come as Australia seeks exemptions from Trump's universal tariff regime, which has affected traditional allies despite existing free trade agreements. Turnbull previously secured tariff exemptions during his 2015-2018 tenure as prime minister.

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