French President Emmanuel Macron said he was "prepared to discuss nuclear weapons stationed in France on soil with European allies" to strengthen defenses against Russia.
Macron's comments in an interview with broadcaster TF1 on Tuesday were in talks with Germany, Poland and other European countries to explore whether France could expand France's nuclear deterrence on the African continent.
The move is being considered in response to signs that U.S. President Donald Trump wants to expand U.S. military presence in Europe and force European countries to take more responsibility for their own security.
"I will define the framework in a very official way in the coming months and months (to discuss French nuclear weapons), but we've already started to start with the slogan I mentioned," Macron said.
He set three conditions for extending France's nuclear protection to European allies: Paris will not pay for the security of other countries; and no deployment of French nuclear weapons can exhaust its ability to defend itself. Any decision to use a bomb will be only in the hands of the French President.
For decades, the United States has been the ultimate guarantor of European security, largely because of its atomic weapons and fighter jets stationed at European army bases.
Under the nuclear sharing agreement with NATO, the nuclear bomb is under the control of the United States but is designed to be carried and abandoned by jets flying in Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Türkiye.
European countries are shocked by Trump's apparent willingness to undermine the transatlantic alliance, and they are also worried that Russia will pose long-term risks to Ukraine and other continents in Europe.
"The moment we live (in Europe) is the moment we wake up," Macron said, adding that Europe is first to "build peace" and linking the economy and trade, but "now about power."
In Europe, few people want the United States to withdraw its nuclear assurances, but fears are that leaders of two firm Atlantic countries – German Chancellor Friedrich Meers and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tosk – have recently said they must start preparing for the situation.
France's nuclear arsenal is much smaller than the United States, so it cannot provide the same level of security for Europe.
For decades, France has said that determining the “important interests” of using atomic weapons has a “European dimension”, but Paris has never defined this semester to keep the French president’s choice open and any opponent’s guess – the key to the nuclear threat.
For Macron, talking with European allies about expanding nuclear protection is a delicate exercise given how central the weapons’ defenses against France’s own and how central the way they think of their sovereignty is.
French officials said earlier this month that although the discussions are underway, they are unlikely to lead to a revision of French nuclear doctrine, but other changes can be made to show Paris' determination toward their opponents.
European countries are eager to avoid anything that will undermine relations with the United States.
When Meers visited Paris last week, he and Macron said any discussion on expanding French nuclear protection would be intended to complement the existing NATO security assurance framework in the United States.