French President Emmanuel Macron said that the country will increase the number of its nuclear warheads in response to growing global threats, adding that unlike previous practice, Paris will no longer disclose exact data on its arsenal, world agencies reported, quoted by BTA.
"If you want to be free, others must fear you. Whoever wants others to fear him must be strong," Macron said.
According to him, France will increase the number of warheads from the current level, without specifying a specific figure. This would be the first increase in France's nuclear arsenal since 1992.
After Britain's exit from the EU in 2020, France remains the only nuclear power in the European Union. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the country has about 290 of the world's estimated 12,200 nuclear weapons, placing it fourth after Russia, the United States and China.
France has four nuclear submarines capable of launching ballistic missiles with a range of about 10,000 kilometers. It also maintains an air component of its nuclear deterrent, the Rafale fighter jets. can carry nuclear-tipped cruise missiles with an officially declared range of about 500 kilometers.
Macron's speech was aimed at clarifying the role of France's nuclear deterrent for European security amid concerns about periodic tensions with the United States under President Donald Trump. European leaders have expressed growing doubts about the long-term reliability of the American "nuclear umbrella".
Some European countries have already responded to Macron's offer last year to discuss France's nuclear deterrent and to possibly include partners in joint exercises. Earlier this month, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he had held "initial talks" with Macron and admitted that German air force planes could theoretically carry French nuclear weapons.
In July, France and Britain adopted a joint declaration that allows their nuclear forces, although independent, to be coordinated. Britain remains the only other European country with a nuclear deterrent.
Macron stressed that any decision to use French nuclear weapons would remain entirely within the French president's discretion.
Emmanuel Macron also said the country would allow the temporary deployment of French nuclear aircraft in allied countries as part of its new nuclear deterrence strategy.
Macron said the new position would "ensure the temporary deployment of elements of strategic air forces in allied countries", but stressed that there would be no sharing of decisions on the use of nuclear weapons.
Eight European countries have agreed to participate in the so-called advanced deterrent - Britain, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Denmark.
These countries would be able to host "strategic air forces" of the French air force, which will allow Paris to "disperse" its capabilities deep into the European continent and thus "complicate the calculations of adversaries", Macron said.
"France, Germany and the United Kingdom will work together on very long-range missile projects", Macron said.
"This will give us new options for conventional escalation management", the French president stressed, adding that this cooperation is "part of a European initiative launched in 2024, which also includes Italy, Poland and Sweden.
France and Germany have agreed to strengthen their cooperation in the field of nuclear deterrence. To this end, they will create a joint steering group to coordinate strategic doctrine and exercises, the leaders of the two countries said in a statement quoted by Reuters.
The step comes amid growing security concerns in Europe and doubts about the reliability of the US nuclear umbrella under President Donald Trump.
The Franco-German initiative aims to strengthen Europe's ability to contain any escalation of tensions before reaching the nuclear threshold, particularly in the areas of early warning, air defense and precision strikes, the statement said.
Berlin and Paris have pledged to take concrete steps this year, including German participation in French nuclear exercises and joint visits to strategic sites. The countries said their efforts would complement, not replace, NATO's nuclear deterrent, and stressed that they continue to rely on the deterrent power of the United States and the independent nuclear forces of France and Britain.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, for his part, said on Monday that Warsaw was in talks with France and a group of its closest European allies on an advanced nuclear deterrent program, Reuters reported.