President Emmanuel Macron said he was ready to “open the debate” on a European defense which would also include nuclear weapons, in an interview with young Europeans published Saturday evening by the Ebra group’s newspapers. “I am in favor of opening this debate which must therefore include anti-missile defense, long-range weapon firing, nuclear weapons for those who have them or who have American nuclear weapons on their soil. Let’s put everything on the table and let’s look at what truly protects us in a credible way”, declared the Head of State, adding that France would keep “its specificity, but is ready to contribute more to the defense of European soil”.
“It may mean deploying anti-missile shields, but…”
Since Brexit and Great Britain’s exit from the European Union, France is the only one of its member states to have nuclear deterrence. During his speech on Europe on Thursday at the Sorbonne, the French president pleaded for a “powerful Europe” and the creation of a “credible” defense Europe alongside NATO and facing Russia, which has become much more threatening since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“It can mean deploying anti-missile shields, but we must be sure that they block all missiles and deter the use of nuclear power,” explained Emmanuel Macron in his interview published on Saturday by newspapers in eastern France . This was made on Friday during a visit to Strasbourg.
Reluctance of partners
“Being credible also means having long-range missiles which would deter the Russians. And there is nuclear weapons: the French doctrine is that we can use them when our vital interests are threatened. I have already said that there is a European dimension to these vital interests, without detailing them, because this deterrence would contribute to the credibility of European defense,” he said.
The construction of a defense Europe has for a very long time been an objective of France which has often encountered reluctance from its partners who considered the NATO umbrella more secure. But the invasion of Ukraine and the possible return to the White House of Donald Trump are relaunching the debate on European autonomy in defense matters.