PARIS (AP) – French President Emmanuel Macron said that he’s ready to start discussions on nuclear deterrence with European allies.
Macron has hinted that France could help to protect other nations after United States (US) President Donald Trump raised questions both about the trans-Atlantic alliance.
While Macron’s offering has been on the table for several years, it has gained urgency after Trump’s remarks raised concerns among European NATO allies, which have for decades counted on the powerful US deterrent.
Nuclear deterrence is a strategy based on the idea that the destructive force of nuclear weapons would prevent other nations’ hostile actions, particularly nuclear attacks.
During the Cold War, the US nuclear umbrella was aimed at ensuring that allies, especially NATO members, would be protected by American nuclear forces in case of a threat. That’s one of the reasons why many nations across the world haven’t pursued their own nuclear arsenals.
France is the only nuclear power in the European Union (EU). The United Kingdom, which is no longer an EU member but is working on restoring closer ties with the 27-nation bloc and belongs to NATO, also has nuclear weapons.
In the wake of Trump’s push for Europe to carry the defence burden, German election winner Friedrich Merz recently called for a discussion on “nuclear sharing” with France.
EU leaders are set to address the issue during a special summit in Brussels today, focusing on support for European defence. United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer won’t be attending the summit. The only non-EU guest is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
France’s nuclear deterrence is strictly conceived as defensive. It is meant to protect the country’s “vital interests.”
Although France is a NATO member, it independently maintains its nuclear forces, cooperating with the alliance’s broader deterrence strategy. Since a 2020 keynote speech, Macron has said that France’s “vital interests” have a “European dimension” – comments that he reiterated in recent days.
“What may be new today … is the somewhat urgent nature of these comments and how they are perceived abroad,” said senior research fellow at France’s Foundation for Strategic Research Emmanuelle Maitre.
