France offers allies a new “nuclear umbrella”

President Emmanuel Macron has announced that eight European countries have expressed interest in an “extended nuclear deterrence” initiative, according to Le Figaro.

The French leader named the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Denmark as participants.

“Today, a new stage of French deterrence may begin. We are embarking on what I would call ‘extended deterrence,’” Macron said.

At the same time, he clarified the institutional framework of the initiative, stressing that final decision-making, planning and execution would remain exclusively within the authority of the President of the French Republic. “There will be no joint final decision-making, no joint planning, and no joint execution. This is a matter of our country’s sovereign judgment,” he emphasised.

Macron also announced cooperation between France, the United Kingdom and Germany on long-range missile development projects. The work is being carried out under the European Long Range Strike Approach (ELSA), launched in 2024, which also includes Italy, Poland and Sweden. “This will give us new capabilities to manage escalation through conventional means,” the president added.

In addition, BFMTV reports that France is prepared to provide allies with strategic assets linked to nuclear deterrence “for deployment as circumstances require.” In this context, Macron mentioned Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Poland. Joint exercises will serve as the first step.