French President Emmanuel Macron is once again promoting his plans to deploy French nuclear weapons across Europe. Following meetings with leaders, including Germany and Poland, he announced on French television that he is “ready to open a discussion” with European countries interested in hosting them. A French deployment to Poland would be a huge escalation, placing European nuclear weapons right on Russia’s borders for the first time, as the country borders the Russian semi-exclave of Kalliningrad.
Macron is still attaching conditions to any deployment, including that countries will have to pay France for stationing the nuclear jets; that any deployment cannot hamper France’s ability to defend itself; and that the ultimate decision to use nuclear weapons would still rest with the French president.
Whilst Macron has been presenting this nuclear umbrella as a response to fears Donald Trump may pull US nuclear weapons out of Europe, in reality, there have no such public statements. Currently US B61 nuclear bombs are deployed at NATO bases in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, and Turkey. And, there is evidence that the US administration may already have deployed new ‘battlefield’ US B61-12 nuclear bombs to these NATO bases and possibly RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.
Macron’s comments come as new polling from You Gov found that European countries who don’t have nuclear weapons are reluctant to develop them. There is also increasing opposition to the deployment of US nuclear weapons to Europe. In Britain, opposition to a US nuclear weapons now stands at 61%, up 2% from a similar poll conducted in 2023.
CND General Secretary Sophie Bolt said:
“This is a very dangerous development that risks French nuclear-armed Rafale jets being deployed in Poland – right on Russia’s borders. This does nothing to help secure a ceasefire – which is critical to saving further lives in this deadly conflict. Instead it increases, not decreases, the risks of nuclear confrontation with Russia. Macron should focus on securing a ceasefire not escalating nuclear threats which puts millions of lives at danger.”
Image credit: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street / Flickr