Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, stated on Tuesday that he was open to discussing the possibility of having his government’s nuclear weapons deployed abroad in Europe. The remarks were made during a Tuesday night interview with TF1 in France. According to Macron, the US has already nuclear-armed plane in Europe. Macron claimed that” the Americans have the weapons on airplanes in Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Turkey.” ” We are prepared to start this dialogue,” the statement read. In the weeks and months to come, he said,” I will determine the model in a very precise way.” Macron made it clear in the meeting that any development of France’s nuclear deterrent to other European nations would be conditional. France, the only nuclear power in the European Union, would not provide for other people’s protection, and his emphasis was that its own defense systems must be fully functional. According to Macron, the French leader may have ultimate control over how the arms were used, according to Macron. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, France had 280 atomic weapons in 2024. The military has the authority to release these from its own submarines or to cut them from the sky using jets. Additionally, Britain has 225 atomic arms in stock, some of which are also present. However, the US system is closely linked to the nation’s Trident nuclear submarine programme, which relies on US preservation. According to UK think tank Chatham House, this raises” concerns about ] Trident’s ] independence.” Germany and other nations opened to a French nuclear proposalMarcon suggested talking with Western friends about how French nuclear weapons might aid in Europe protection in March. In light of concerns about the threat posed by Russia to the peninsula, many Western leaders now feel they can no longer depend on the US’ nuclear devotion to Europe. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also expressed his desire for his nation to house European nuclear weapons. Nevertheless, he made the point that this would “expressly no alternative for the nuclear guarantee now being given to Europe by the United States of America.” In a joint press conference with Macron in Paris last year, Merz also emphasized that Germany” cannot and must not have its own nuclear arms.” Poland, Denmark, and Lithuania have all previously stated that they are receptive to this possibility. Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland, stated in March that it was “talking really” with France about being protected by European nuclear weapons. Concerns about Russian aggression following its invasion of Ukraine are closely linked, but Macron was careful never to stir up hostilities with Moscow. He added that France didn’t want to start” World War II I” over Russia’s conflict in Ukraine in his Tuesday meeting. Macron said,” We must assist Ukraine in defending itself, but we don’t want a third world war to break out.” He continued,” The conflict must end, and Ukraine must be in the best possible position to start conversations.”
