MUNICH, February 14. /TASS/. For the first time in history, Paris plans to cooperate with Berlin on the subject of nuclear deterrence, French President Emmanuel Macron said on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
In the French leader’s words, "we have to re-articulate nuclear deterrence."
"We engage in strategic dialogue, obviously with [German] Chancellor [Friedrich] Merz and with few European leaders in order to see how we can articulate our national doctrine, which is guaranteed and controlled by the constitution, with specific cooperation, common exercises and security interests," Macron continued.
He emphasized that "this is exactly what we are doing, for the first time in history with Germany."
"This dialogue is important by itself, but it’s important because this is a way to articulate nuclear deterrence in a holistic approach to defense and security," Macron added.
In 2020, Macron said that there were less than 300 warheads in France’s nuclear arsenal. In March 2025, he pledged to launch a discussion with allies about the possibility of taking European countries under the French nuclear umbrella. Germany, Denmark, Lithuania and Poland have already signaled that they were open for a discussion on the subject. UK’s Financial Times reported that US allies in Europe and Asia are studying the possibility of creating their own nuclear shield because of the current US administration’s course towards rebuilding ties with Russia.