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France's Macron is ready to discuss nuclear deterrence for Europe
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 1, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 25, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 1, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 25, 2026
Emmanuel Macron is ready to discuss nuclear deterrence for Europe, suggesting France could protect EU countries amid security threats.
PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron has said he is ready to start discussions on nuclear deterrence for Europe, hinting France could help to protect other EU countries, given the security threats posed by Russia.
European leaders will meet in London on Sunday to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine and they will attend a European Union summit on Thursday.
The bloc is grappling with U.S. President Donald Trump's willingness to embrace Russian diplomacy and the implications of an extraordinary clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Trump at the White House on Friday.
Macron told Portuguese TV RTP in an interview he posted on X on Saturday that if Europe wanted to move towards "greater autonomy" in matters of defence and nuclear deterrence, then its leaders should start a discussion about it.
"I am available to open this discussion...if it allows to build a European force," he said. "There has always been a European dimension to France's vital interests within its nuclear doctrine."
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was swift to react to Macron's comments.
"The French nuclear deterrent must remain a French nuclear deterrent," she said as she visited the Farm Show in Paris on Saturday. "It must not be shared, let alone delegated."
Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu reiterated Macron's stance that France's vital interests include a “European dimension”, but also that it was under the exclusive control of the French head of state.
"Our nuclear deterrent is French, and it will remain so: from the design and production of our weapons, to their implementation by decision of the President of the Republic," he said on X.
"It protects the vital interests of France, which the head of state alone can define."
(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; editing by Barbara Lewis)
Macron expressed his readiness to discuss nuclear deterrence for Europe, suggesting that France could help protect other EU countries and emphasizing the need for greater autonomy in defense matters.
Marine Le Pen reacted by stating that the French nuclear deterrent must remain exclusively French and should not be shared or delegated to other countries.
Macron's statements highlight France's commitment to a European dimension in its nuclear doctrine, indicating a potential shift towards a more collaborative defense strategy within the EU.
European leaders are set to meet in London to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine and will attend a European Union summit later in the week.
Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu reiterated that France's nuclear deterrent is under the exclusive control of the French head of state and is designed to protect France's vital interests.
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