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France may employ nuclear deterrence to protect others in the EU, minister says

On February 25, The Daily Telegraph reported, citing sources, that France might deploy its nuclear forces to Germany if the US decides to reduce its military presence in Europe

PARIS, February 27. /TASS/. French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu said his country could employ nuclear deterrence to protect the other members of the European Union.

Commenting on reports that France and Britain could use their nuclear deterrence forces to protect Germany should the United States move to withdraw its troops from there, Lecornu told Franceinfo Radio that only Paris controls French nukes and that the decision to use them can be made by the head of state to protect "essential interests."

"Are French essential interests strictly confined to our borders? <...> Since the General [Charles] de Gaulle era, several heads of state, including Emmanuel Macron, have stated that our vital interests are of a European dimension," the French minister said. "General de Gaulle was even more precise as he wrote in his instructions to the armed forces in 1964 that France’s essential interests will be jeopardized should western Germany or the Benelux countries be attacked," he explained.

On February 25, The Daily Telegraph reported, citing sources, that France might deploy its nuclear forces to Germany if the US decides to reduce its military presence in Europe. German diplomats, in turn, told the British newspaper that such a French move could compel Britain to follow suit. Friedrich Merz, Germany’s likely next chancellor, has urged the UK and France to extend their nuclear protection to his country.

On February 21, Merz told ZDF television in an interview that he questioned whether the Donald Trump-led United States would adhere to the collective defense clause of the North Atlantic Alliance. He said the Europeans must "take every step to at least be able to defend their region."

Earlier, NBC quoted sources as saying that the United States is considering reducing its military presence in Europe due to its priorities in the Asia-Pacific region and on the border with Mexico. According to the TV channel, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Vladimir Zelensky "in a closed-door meeting that the United States may withdraw a significant number of its troops from Europe."

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