London
\nFrance must open a debate on building up a pan-European defense capability, to include rethinking its own nuclear potential, French President Emmanuel Macron has said.
\nSpeaking to a group of young people at the European School in Strasbourg on Friday, Macron stressed that while France is already protected by NATO, it \u201cmust now go further\u201d to ensure its security and \u201cbuild a credible European defense.\u201d
\nHe noted that guaranteeing that security \u201cmay mean deploying anti-missile shields\u201d to be able to deter the use of nuclear weapons. \u201cBeing credible also means having long-range missiles that would deter the Russians,\u201d he added.
\nNumerous Western leaders have insisted on boosting defense capabilities amid the Ukraine conflict, citing fears that Russia could attack NATO within a few years.
\nRussian President Vladimir Putin, however, has dismissed such speculation as \u201cnonsense,\u201d pointing to the fact that the US, NATO\u2019s largest contributor, spends ten times more on defense than Moscow. He has also stated that current geopolitical tensions are largely due to NATO\u2019s decision to ignore Russian security interests.
\nExplaining his stance on nuclear weapons, Macron went on to say that while France would use its arsenal only if its vital interests were threatened, those interests also have a European dimension. This means that French nuclear doctrine should contribute to the credibility of the continent\u2019s defense, he said.
\n\u201cI am in favor of opening this debate, which must therefore include anti-missile defense, long-range weapon firing, nuclear weapons for those who have them or who have American nuclear weapons on their soil,\u201d the president stated.
\nFor several years, Macron has also advocated creating a \u201ctrue, European army\u201d to be able to independently strengthen continental security. This month, he also warned that \u201cour Europe today is mortal and it can die\u201d while calling for a \u201cstrategic autonomy\u201d for Europe, particularly in terms of military production. The region \u201cmust show that it is never a vassal of the United States,\u201d he said.
\nThe idea of creating a joint EU army, however, has met strong pushback both in Brussels and in EU capitals. EU top diplomat Josep Borrell suggested last month that while the bloc should aspire to boost the military capabilities of its individual members, that does not mean it should create a common army.
\nSeveral EU states, including Denmark and Poland, have similarly signaled that they want their security guaranteed within the existing NATO framework.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
London France must open a debate on building up a pan-European defense capability, to include rethinking its own nuclear potential, French President Emmanuel Macron has said. Speaking to a group of young people at the European School in Strasbourg on Friday, Macron stressed that while France is already protected by NATO, it \u201cmust now go […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":389470,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-403417","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n