Faced with an unpredictable Donald Trump, Europeans want to arm … and dissuade any offensive desire. Faced with the scenario of a NATO released by Washington, and before the spectacular rapprochement of the United States with Russia, Emmanuel Macron revived the debate on the very sensitive idea of a European nuclear umbrella, which divides the political class.
The French president said he was ready to “open the discussion” on a European nuclear deterrence after the verbal confrontation between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump on Friday in Washington. This altercation suggests a disengagement from the United States in Ukraine and a historic rupture of their alliance with Europeans. Emmanuel Macron, at the head of one of the two nuclear powers in Europe with the United Kingdom, responded to the future German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He considered it necessary for Europe to prepare “for the worst scenario” of a NATO without the American security guarantee, including nuclear.
Emmanuel Macron offers a “strategic dialogue” with European countries which do not have nuclear weapons and may no longer depend on American deterrence, arguing In the Parisian that it “would make France stronger” because, he added In Ouest-France“Today” Russian missiles deployed in Belarus “expose us”. “We cannot say that we want more autonomous Europeans and consider that we will let our neighbors depend completely on the American capacity in terms of deterrence,” said the French president in the regional daily.
Mélenchon denounces the “Atlanticist” of Europeans
The words of Emmanuel Macron made the political class react. The President of the Reconquest Party Eric Zemmour is not opposed to a French nuclear umbrella for European countries “from the moment it is the President of the French Republic who has the nuclear button,” he said this Sunday on BFMTV. On the other hand, the former journalist declared that he was firmly opposed to any sharing of French deterrence, that is to say a form of pooling of the decision to make use of the atomic weapon. “It would be high treason,” he said.
For the leader of the National Rally (RN) Marine Le Pen, the United States remains “obviously” an ally of France within NATO. Those who say the opposite “are not reasonable people,” she said on Saturday. France’s nuclear deterrence must remain “French” and “we must not share it,” she said. The Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu replied to him on the social network X that nuclear deterrence “will remain” French “of the design and production of our weapons, until their implementation by decision of the President of the Republic”, but that in the same time “our vital interests include a ‘European dimension'”.
Without pronouncing directly on the nuclear weapon, the leader of La France rebellious Jean-Luc Mélenchon for his part estimated that it was necessary to “hinder” the Europe of defense “while denouncing the” Atlanticist “of Europeans.
“France has an immense role to play”
Unsurprisingly, the idea of an extended nuclear umbrella is supported by the most pro-European within the political class. “The enemies of Europe must know that our partners, those who share our values, benefit from the French nuclear umbrella,” said the president of the Renew (centrist) group in the European Parliament. “France has an immense role to play because it is the only power endowed with the nuclear weapon in the European Union, because it has a powerful defense industry,” abounded on Franceinfo the European Democrat deputy Raphaël Glucksmann.
However, the scenario of European deterrence comes up against numerous obstacles, including the decision autonomy claimed by France in this area. In February 2020, Emmanuel Macron had put forward “the authentically European dimension” of French vital interests, not without arouing debates. In April 2024, the President of the Republic said he was ready to “open the debate” of a European defense which could “include anti -missile defense, long -range weapons fire, nuclear weapons for those who have it or who have American nuclear weapon on their soil”.