Macron ready to ‘open debate’ on European defense, including nuclear weapons

Building a defensive Europe has long been the goal of France, which often faced resistance from its partners who saw the NATO umbrella as safer. The war in Ukraine and Donald Trump’s possible return to the White House in November are changing the cards.

In an interview with young Europeans published on Saturday evening by Ebra group newspapers, Emmanuel Macron said he was ready to “open a debate” on a European defense that would also include nuclear weapons.

“I am in favor of starting this debate, which therefore should include missile defense, long-range shooting, nuclear weapons for those who have them or who have American nuclear weapons on their soil. Let’s put everything on the table and see what really protects us,” the head of state said, adding that France will retain “its specificity, but is ready to make a greater contribution to the defense of European soil.”

Following Brexit and the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, France became the only member state with a nuclear deterrent.

During his speech on Europe on Thursday at the Sorbonne, the French president called for a “powerful Europe” and a “robust” defense system for Europe alongside NATO and facing Russia, which has become much more threatening since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 of the year.

“These vital interests have a European dimension”

“This may mean deploying missile defense shields, but we must be sure that they block all missiles and deter the use of nuclear energy,” the head of state said.

“Being credible also means having long-range missiles that will deter the Russians. And there are nuclear weapons: French doctrine says we can use them when our vital interests are threatened. “I have already said that these vital interests have a European dimension, but I did not detail them, because such deterrence will contribute to increasing confidence in European defense,” he explained.

During his speech at the Sorbonne, Emmanuel Macron already touched on the issue of French nuclear weapons, which regularly comes up in discussions on European defense.

“Nuclear deterrence is truly at the core of French defense strategy. Therefore, in fact, this is the most important element of the defense of the European continent,” he said last Thursday.

As for Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron expects that current arms supplies will allow the Ukrainians to “resist more.” “We are really playing for our safety and we are playing for the future of Europe,” he concluded.