Russia on Wednesday criticised the French proposal to share its nuclear arsenal with the rest of Europe. It said that the move will not enhance security of the continent.“The proliferation of nuclear weapons on the European continent is something that will not add security, predictability, or stability to the European continent,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.French president Emmanuel Macron had hinted on Tuesday at the possible deployment of nuclear bombers across the EU. He had said he was ready to discuss the issue. He made the comment during an interview with French broadcaster TF1.“We are ready to open this discussion. I will define the framework in a very specific way in the weeks and months to come,” Macron said.The president further noted that the United States had already stationed nuclear-armed aircraft in Europe. “The Americans have the bombs on planes in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Turkey,” he said.Notably, Macron, along with other top leaders from Europe, had met Ukraine‘s president Zelenskyy in Kyiv in an unprecedented show of European unity since the start of the Ukraine war three years ago.Macron, however, made clear that any expansion of France‘s nuclear deterrence to other European countries would be subject to conditions. France, the European Union’s sole nuclear power, will not finance the security of other nations, Macron emphasised. He insisted that France’s own defence capabilities must remain fully intact, with ultimate authority over the use of its nuclear weapons resting exclusively with France, he said.
