MOSCOW, July 9. /TASS/. The world will plunge into "the law of the jungle" if European countries acquire nuclear weapons, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said in an interview with Poland’s Rzeczpospolita newspaper.

"If even European countries went ahead and violated the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, we would soon find ourselves in a world where 20 to 30 countries possess nuclear weapons. All of Western Europe has the capacity to create such weapons, along with many Asian nations and Gulf countries," Grossi pointed out. "We would return to the law of the jungle, every man for himself. In such a case, nuclear deterrence would become ineffective and these weapons would ultimately be used," he explained.

French President Emmanuel Macron stated in early March 2025 that Paris was ready to launch discussions with other European nations about the possible use of France’s nuclear deterrence capacity for the protection of the continent. Several European countries, namely Poland, expressed interest in Macron’s proposal. On March 7, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced Warsaw’s aspiration to get access to nuclear and other unconventional weapons, including through participation in the French nuclear umbrella initiative.