French President Emmanuel Macron has said he will discuss with European allies the possibility of using France’s nuclear deterrent to protect the continent from Russian threats, amid concerns over potential US disengagement.
France is the only nuclear power in the European Union.
He said the use of France’s nuclear weapons would remain only in the hands of the French president.
Macron’s move comes in response to a push by German election winner Friedrich Merz, who recently called for a discussion on “nuclear sharing” with France.
The UK, which is not part of the EU, also has a nuclear deterrent force.
EU leaders are set to address the issue of nuclear deterrence, among other topics, during this week’s summit in Brussels focusing on support for Ukraine and European defense. European NATO allies have for decades counted on the powerful US deterrent.
“Europe’s future does not have to be decided in Washington or Moscow,” Macron said, insisting that “the innocence of the last 30 years” which followed the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall, is “now over.”
Macron said Russia is now spending 40 per cent of its state budget in military spending, with plans to expand its army by 2030 with 300,000 additional soldiers, 3000 tanks and 300 jet fighters.
US President Donald Trump has pushed for Europe to carry more of the burden of protecting the continent, and Trump administration officials have indicated that the current American level of engagement may not be forever.
