Emmanuel Macron, who said he was willing to study the relevance of a European “anti-missile shield”, clarified on Friday that he was not “sure” that this “totally protects” against Russia, pleading for strategic reflection in Europe which also includes “nuclear deterrence”. In his major speech on Europe on Thursday at the Sorbonne, the French head of state announced his intention to open discussions with European partners to build a “strategic concept” of “credible European defense”.
Europe is “the continent that can be hit tomorrow by missiles” from Russia
The objective is that the Old Continent can “defend” itself, “with its allies whenever they are ready to do so, and alone if necessary”. “Do we need an anti-missile shield for that, perhaps?” he added in this speech, estimating that the French nuclear deterrent was “in essence an essential element of the defense of the European continent “. Its openness on the anti-missile shield could be interpreted as a step towards Germany, which launched the “Euro Sky Shield” project which Paris opposes.
Berlin has already rallied around twenty other countries in Europe to this initiative which will benefit from American, Israeli and German technologies, but will not have any French-made equipment. Europe is “the continent that can be hit tomorrow by missiles” from Russia, which “is becoming an uninhibited power again,” Emmanuel Macron told journalists on Friday on the sidelines of a trip to Strasbourg.
“The debate raised by the Germans, moreover because they do not have nuclear deterrence, is legitimate,” he added. “Simply, is that the right answer? I’m not sure that there are any anti-missile shields that completely protect against Russian missiles or that deter them,” he immediately qualified. “Is it sufficient, relevant”, “credible”?, he added. According to the French president, “it’s a package”: “having long-range shots ourselves to deter”, “having in fact shields, domes” as Germany is proposing, “and integrating the question of deterrence in this reflection”.
According to him, it is necessary to have “strategic thinking” and “clarify the concept” before looking at the “capabilities” in weapons, evoking in this regard “a small difference” with the German approach. France is the only country in the European Union to have nuclear weapons. During a visit to Sweden in January, Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed that in this respect she had “a particular responsibility”, especially since the French “vital interests” likely to be defended by this nuclear deterrent “are in danger”. part mainly European.