France considers lending its nuclear weapons to Europe

Emmanuel Macron insists on the need for Europe to regain control of its own defense, in an international context where traditional alliances seem to be changing rapidly.

Since the global upheaval caused by Donald Trump's arrival as President of the United States, in particular his withdrawal of support for Ukraine in the face of Russian invasion, Emmanuel Macron has been arguing for a strengthening of Europe's strategic autonomy.

With this in mind, the French President said he was open to the idea of sharing the French nuclear umbrella with all European countries, in order to create a common deterrent against hostile threats.

In an interview with TF1, Emmanuel Macron said he would personally lead the development of such a plan in the coming weeks and months.

Although the United States already has nuclear weapons deployed in Europe, notably in Belgium, Germany, Italy and Turkey, Emmanuel Macron insists on the need for Europe to regain control of its own defense, in an international context where traditional alliances seem to be changing rapidly.

Macron makes it clear, however, that this project will not jeopardize France's defense capabilities, which must remain fully intact, and stresses that the French will not pay for the security of other European countries.

France's nuclear defense system, which is estimated to have around 300 warheads, is entirely independent of the USA, unlike that of the UK.

This would enable it to provide fully autonomous protection for Europe, while remaining under the exclusive control of France, wherever it is deployed.