French nuclear power to protect Europe? In an interview with young Europeans, published this Saturday evening by the Ebra group’s newspapers, Emmanuel Macron once again said he was ready to “open the debate” on a European defense which would also include nuclear weapons.
“I am in favor of opening this debate which must therefore include anti-missile defense, long-range weapon firing, nuclear weapons for those who have them or who have American nuclear weapons on their soil. Let’s put everything on the table and look at what truly protects us in a credible way,” declared the Head of State, adding that France would keep “its specificity but is ready to contribute more to the defense of European soil”.
France, the only nuclear power since Brexit
Since Brexit and the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, France is the only one of its member states to have nuclear deterrence.
During his speech on Europe on Thursday at the Sorbonne, the French president pleaded for a “powerful Europe” and the creation of a “credible” defense Europe alongside NATO and facing Russia, which has become much more threatening since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Defense of the vital interests of the country… of which Europe is a part
“It can mean deploying anti-missile shields, but we must be sure that they block all missiles and deter the use of nuclear power,” explained the President of the Republic in his interview conducted on Friday during a visit to Strasbourg. .
“Being credible also means having long-range missiles that would deter the Russians. And there is nuclear weapons: French doctrine is that we can use them when our vital interests are threatened. I have already said that there is a European dimension to these vital interests, without detailing them because this deterrence would contribute to the credibility of European defense,” he clarified.
European defense clashes with NATO
During his speech at the Sorbonne, Emmanuel Macron had already addressed this question of French nuclear weapons, which regularly comes up in discussions on European defense.
“Nuclear deterrence is indeed at the heart of French defense strategy. It is therefore, in essence, an essential element in the defense of the European continent,” he said last Thursday.
The construction of a defense Europe has been an objective of France for a very long time, but it has often encountered reluctance from its partners who considered the NATO umbrella more secure.
European autonomy in question
The invasion of Ukraine and the possible return to the White House of Donald Trump are relaunching the debate on European autonomy in defense matters.
Regarding Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron expects an effect from current arms deliveries. “I hope that, given what we are delivering, the United States, the Germans, we, in the coming months, the Ukrainians will be able to resist more,” he said in the interview to the Ebra group newspapers.
“We are really playing for our security, and we are playing for the future of Europe,” he reaffirmed.