WikiLeaks says US spied on French ministers

The US National Security Agency (NSA) wiretapped the communications of two successive French finance ministers and collected information on French export contracts, trade and budget talks, according to a report by WikiLeaks.

The transparency website said the ministers targeted were Francois Baroin and Pierre Moscovici, who between them headed the finance ministry from 2011 to 2014.

The allegations, published jointly with newspaper Libération and online outlet Mediapart, came a week after WikiLeaks reported that the NSA spied on three French presidents from at least 2006 to May 2012, prompting the government to protest to Washington that such behaviour between allies was unacceptable.