{"id":28097,"date":"2025-03-07T00:02:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-06T22:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=28097"},"modified":"2025-03-07T10:18:47","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T08:18:47","slug":"france-considers-extending-nuclear-protection-to-european-allies-amid-growing-rift-with-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/france-considers-extending-nuclear-protection-to-european-allies-amid-growing-rift-with-us\/","title":{"rendered":"France considers extending nuclear protection to European allies amid growing rift with US"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

5 minute read<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France is open to extending its nuclear deterrence to its European allies, emphasizing the need for Europe to be prepared for a future in which the United States may not offer the same level of support in the Ukraine-Russia war.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve decided to open the strategic debate on the protection by our deterrence of our allies on the European continent,\u201d Macron declared in a live broadcast on his official social media channels. He stressed the importance of Europe bolstering its defense while continuing to aid Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Macron underscored that France\u2019s nuclear arsenal is fully independent, stating, \u201cOur nuclear deterrence protects us, it is complete, sovereign, French from end to end. This protects us much more than many of our neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French president made it clear that any decisions regarding France\u2019s nuclear deterrence would remain solely in the hands of the French president, as the commander of the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Macron\u2019s remarks signal a significant shift in European defense policy. He warned that the continent is \u201centering a new era\u201d and that it would be \u201cfolly\u201d for Europe to remain a \u201cspectator\u201d to Russia’s growing threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Concerns over US commitment to Europe\u2019s defense<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Macron expressed concerns about the United States’ changing stance on the Ukraine war, suggesting that Europe must prepare for a scenario in which it may need to act without full U.S. support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe United States, our ally, has changed its position on this war, is less supportive of Ukraine and is casting doubt on what will happen next,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to believe that the United States will remain by our side, but we need to be ready if that were not the case.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"France's<\/a>
France’s President Emmanuel Macron holds a video meeting gathering European Union (EU) 27 leaders following his meeting with U.S. President, at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on February 26, 2025. (Image Credit: Ludovic Marin\/Reuters)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

While reaffirming France\u2019s commitment to NATO and its partnership with the U.S., Macron stressed the need for greater European independence in defense and security matters. \u201cWe need to do more,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of his initiative to strengthen Europe\u2019s military preparedness, Macron announced that he would be inviting European leaders to Paris next week to discuss a plan for achieving a \u201cdurable peace.\u201d This could include the deployment of peacekeeping troops to Ukraine after a peace agreement is reached to prevent Russia from launching another invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Support for a European nuclear umbrella<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Macron\u2019s comments follow recent remarks by Germany\u2019s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who has called for discussions with France and the United Kingdom, Europe\u2019s two nuclear powers, on expanding nuclear protection across the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Macron has previously shown openness to this idea. In an interview last month, he stated, \u201cIf my fellow European leaders want to proceed towards greater autonomy and a deterrence capacity, well, we must open that discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further reinforcing this stance, Macron told a French newspaper earlier this week that European nations interested in deepening dialogue on nuclear deterrence could participate in French military deterrence exercises.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"France's<\/a>
France’s M51 submarine-launched ballistic missile. (Image Credit: Marine Nationale)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Macron\u2019s speech follows a crucial summit where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The meeting took place shortly after a tense encounter between Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, where differences over support for Ukraine were laid bare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As European leaders work on a strategy to end the fighting in Ukraine, Starmer revealed that a small group of nations is developing a proposal that will eventually be presented to the U.S. Macron disclosed that France and the United Kingdom have put forward a plan for a month-long limited ceasefire in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Reducing dependence on the United States<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the French government is making it clear that Europe must reduce its dependence on American military support. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot emphasized this point in an interview, stating, \u201cWe can no longer tolerate being dependent on the United States, South Korea, or other countries for our military supplies and weaponry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barrot warned that relying too heavily on the U.S. has left Europe vulnerable. \u201cAs we lived under the American shield, the threat crept closer to us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Barrot reiterated that the U.S. remains a key ally, he cautioned that Europe must make its own strategic decisions. \u201cThey seem to be working toward peace. We’re not going to discourage them; that’s good news. But as we have been saying for weeks and months, peace must be a just and lasting one that definitively deters the threat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"European<\/a>
European leaders gathered in London for a meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on March 2, 2025. (Image Credit: X\/@SMuresan)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Barrot also pointed out that the conflict in Ukraine has gone beyond conventional warfare, now extending to disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks, sabotage, and political assassinations abroad. \u201cIf we remain blind to this transformation of the threat, then yes, sooner or later, we will be drawn into war,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barrot described the current geopolitical climate as a \u201chistoric and serious moment.\u201d He argued that the international order is under threat from aggressive powers that do not respect national borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe UN is threatened by the resurgence of empires that believe borders no longer exist and that they can violate their neighbors’ integrity with impunity,\u201d Barrot said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He called for Europe to take a more proactive role in defending a world order based on \u201cjustice and law,\u201d asserting that France would continue working toward a strong and self-sufficient European defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

France\u2019s shift in rhetoric and policy highlights a broader transformation in Europe\u2019s defense strategy. Macron\u2019s proposal to extend nuclear protection to European allies, his call for greater military independence, and Barrot\u2019s strong statements on European security reflect a continent preparing for an uncertain future.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Ukrainian<\/a>
Ukrainian activists deploy a massive banner, urging European leaders to seize frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine in its conflict against Russia, in Brussels, Belgium, on March 5, 2025. (Image Credit: Yves Herman\/Reuters)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France is open to extending its nuclear deterrence to its European allies, emphasizing the need for Europe to be prepared for a future in which the U.S. may not offer the same level of support in the Ukraine-Russia war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28092,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[62,1],"tags":[75,6,357,5,108,20,113,7,22,128,63],"class_list":["post-28097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","category-news","tag-conflict","tag-defense","tag-europe","tag-military","tag-nuclear","tag-russia","tag-security","tag-u-s","tag-ukraine","tag-war","tag-weapons"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/France-Macron-nuclear-weapon.jpg?fit=690%2C370&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7jJWb-7jb","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28097"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28101,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28097\/revisions\/28101"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}