French President Emmanuel Macron has said he is “ready to open a discussion” about stationing the nation’s nuclear weapons on allies’ soil, in an effort to strengthen Europe’s defense.
“I will define the framework in a very official way in the weeks and months to come, but we have already begun things with the provisos I mentioned.”
The “provisos” he alludes to are three conditions he would insist on for extending France’s nuclear protection.
First, Paris will not foot the bill for the security of other countries.
Second, the deployment of French nukes to other nations cannot be to the detriment of France’s own ability to defend itself.
And third, “the final decision will always rest with the President of the Republic, head of the Armed Forces,” he said.
His comments provoked a response from Moscow, which argued that the move would not enhance Europe’s security.
When asked about Macron’s remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “The proliferation of nuclear weapons on the European continent is something that will not add security, predictability and stability.
“Right now, the entire system of strategic stability and security is in a deplorable state for obvious reasons.”
After the UK’s “Brexit” from the EU, France became the sole nuclear power in the 27-nation bloc.
The French nuclear deterrent is air- and sea-based, with Rafale fighter jets and nuclear submarines being able to strike at any time, on the instruction of the French president.
This is not the first time Macron has mentioned extending Paris’s nuclear umbrella, having said earlier in the year that he was open to broadening it to other European nations, partly in response to growing doubts over U.S. President Donald Trump’s long-term commitment to European security.
“Our nuclear deterrent protects us. It’s complete, sovereign, French through and through. But, responding to the historic call of the future German chancellor, I have decided to open the strategic debate on the protection of our allies on the European continent through our deterrence,” he said.
February saw German Chancellor Friedrich Merz call for a discussion on “nuclear sharing” with France, while in March, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland was “talking seriously with the French” about the “idea of a nuclear umbrella over Europe.”
The treaty signed in the French city of Nancy, where Polish King Stanislaw Leszczynski lived in the late 18th century, becoming Duke of Lorraine after losing the throne, includes a mutual assistance clause, deepening a commitment between the two NATO members to support each other in the case of an attack, and a pledge to deepen military and technological links.
“I am deeply convinced that from today France and Poland in these difficult times will be able to count on each other in every situation,” Tusk said.
