Russia, which holds the world’s largest nuclear arsenal with approximately 4,000 warheads, considers the French nuclear deterrent a potential threatread more
The Kremlin warned Wednesday (May 14) that any deployment of French nuclear bombers across Europe would not enhance security, after French President Emmanuel Macron said he was open to discussing an extended nuclear umbrella for the continent.
“The proliferation of nuclear weapons on the European continent is something that will not add security, predictability, or stability,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Macron raised the idea during a televised interview on Tuesday (May 13), drawing comparisons to the United States nuclear policy, which positions American weapons in allied countries and offers a nuclear defence guarantee. He pointed out that the United States already deploys nuclear bombs in Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Turkey.
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“We are ready to open this discussion,” Macron said on TF1 television. “I will define the framework in a very specific way in the weeks and months to come.”
France is the only European Union member state with nuclear weapons. With Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine and US President Donald Trump urging European nations to take more responsibility for their defence, debate has been building around the idea of France extending its nuclear deterrent to the broader 27-member bloc.
Russia, which holds the world’s largest nuclear arsenal with approximately 4,000 warheads, considers the French nuclear deterrent a potential threat. Peskov said global strategic stability was already in a poor state.
“At present, the entire system of strategic stability and security is in a deplorable state for obvious reasons,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued several nuclear threats since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, prompting sharp criticism from Western governments, who have condemned such rhetoric as reckless.
In the same TV appearance,
Macron also called for new sanctions
against Russia if Moscow continues to reject calls for a ceasefire in Ukraine. He said financial services and the oil and gas sectors could be targeted.
“Our intention is to impose new sanctions against Russia in the coming days,” Macron said. “We are coordinating in this regard.”
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His remarks came after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made similar comments earlier on Tuesday, saying European allies would enforce a “significant tightening of sanctions” if Putin does not agree to halt the fighting.
With inputs from agencies