France to boost nuclear arsenal, involve European allies in deterrence
Source: Reuters
PARIS, March 2 (Reuters) - France will expand its nuclear arsenal and will potentially allow European partners to host its aircraft on nuclear deterrence missions, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday, signalling a major doctrine change for France and the continent.
Though France and Britain are both nuclear powers, most European countries have relied primarily on the United States for deterring any potential adversaries — a decades-old pillar of transatlantic security.
But Trump's rapprochement with Russia on the Ukraine war and his harsher posture towards traditional allies have rattled European governments, and some countries have expressed interest in how Paris could protect them by extending its nuclear umbrella.
"We are currently experiencing a period of geopolitical upheaval fraught with risk," Macron said in a speech delivered from a submarine base in Brittany, adding that a hardening of the French deterrence model was needed.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/macron-says-france-will-increase-size-its-nuclear-arsenal-2026-03-02/
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