PARIS - President Emmanuel Macron has said he will launch a strategic dialogue on extending the protection offered by France's nuclear arsenal to its European partners. Europe's primary nuclear deterrence comes from the United States and is a decades-old symbol of trans-Atlantic solidarity.
France has a much smaller nuclear arsenal than its NATO ally but Moscow has responded to Macron's remarks by saying his nuclear rhetoric poses a threat to Russia.
President Donald Trump's questioning of burden-sharing in NATO and his overtures to Russia as he tries to end the war in Ukraine have led to existential questions in Europe about the trans-Atlantic relationship and about Washington's commitment to helping defend its European allies.
Friedrich Merz, who is likely to become Germany's chancellor, has said he fears NATO may not remain in its "current form" by June and advocated a closer look at French and British nuclear deterrence. The U. It provides some military capabilities that Europe cannot match, from mid-air refuelling to its nuclear umbrella. But the assurances that nuclear weapons are a core part of the alliance's deterrence strategy are not legally binding.
France is the European Union's only nuclear power following Britain's departure from the bloc and Paris takes pride in its independent nuclear deterrent. France spends about 5. Britain describes its nuclear programme as "operationally independent", but sources missile technology from the U. The doctrine is defensive, designed to deter potential aggressors by maintaining a credible nuclear threat and to protect France's vital interests. Macron has said those interests have a "European dimension" without giving details.
