Macron: We are in the process of updating France’s nuclear doctrine.
In an interview with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published on Wednesday, Macron said: “We are working on updating the nuclear doctrine.”
He added: “I would like to continue to deepen the strategic dialogue with Europeans who want to participate in it.”
France and Britain are the only countries in Europe with nuclear weapons. Given that Europeans are skeptical and concerned about the continued use of the European nuclear umbrella, there have been discussions in recent months about other European countries using the French nuclear umbrella.
Regarding the possibility of using military force to shoot down Russian drones that enter the airspace of European countries, Macron emphasized the use of the “doctrine of ambiguity” towards Moscow, saying: “I do not rule out any possibility. We must keep Russian President Vladimir Putin in the dark.”
The French president said: “It would be naive not to recognize the influence of Russia’s secret army on our democracies. This army is made up of small, unknown warriors called digital robots that are distorting the democracies of France, Germany and Europe.”
Macron said Europeans had underestimated the Russian threat, adding that Russia was “the biggest structural threat to Europeans” given its interference in European election campaigns, cyberattacks, assassinations of opponents and the spread of disinformation by Moscow.