Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 4, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleRussia denounces France’s March 2, 2026 plan to expand its nuclear arsenal and involve European allies in nuclear drills as “extremely destabilising,” warning it heightens NATO’s offensive potential amid the post‑New START arms control vacuum.
MOSCOW, March 4 (Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday that France's plan to expand its nuclear arsenal was a highly destabilising move that posed a potential threat to Moscow.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the plan on Monday, saying other European countries would also be able to take part in French nuclear exercises. France and Germany said they had set up a nuclear steering group to discuss deterrence issues.
Macron first said in March 2025 that he would launch a strategic dialogue on extending the protection of France's nuclear umbrella to European allies that have until now relied on the United States.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that Macron's announcement this week was "an extremely destabilising development".
It represented "a significant strengthening and expansion of NATO's nuclear potential, which, in the event of a direct military conflict with Russia, could be used in a coordinated manner against our country," she said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking separately to reporters, said the French move vindicated Moscow's position that French and British nuclear weapons should be part of any future negotiation on the global nuclear balance.
Russia says it is open to such talks following the expiry last month of New START, the last bilateral treaty that limited the numbers of Russian and U.S. strategic nuclear warheads and missiles.
(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov, writing by Mark TrevelyanEditing by Andrew Osborn)
Russia called France's plan highly destabilising and a potential threat to Moscow, raising concerns about European security.
Macron announced plans to expand France's nuclear arsenal and allow other European countries to participate in nuclear exercises.
Russia said French and British nuclear weapons should be included in any future negotiation on the global nuclear balance.
With New START expired, Russia signaled openness to talks on limiting nuclear warheads, involving more countries beyond the US.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov provided statements on the matter.
Explore more articles in the Headlines category
