Military tact: France has no plans to deploy nuclear forces in Europe

France has no plans to deploy its nuclear weapons on the territory of third countries, the republic's embassy in Moscow told Izvestia. At the same time, Paris is expanding its dialogue with European allies on nuclear deterrence. France and Poland have already agreed to deepen military cooperation, and earlier Paris agreed with Berlin to launch a separate format of interaction. The embassy also stressed that Moscow and Paris continue to discuss issues of nuclear doctrine and risk reduction, and there is a direct secure communication line between the countries.

France is not changing its nuclear doctrine

France remains the only EU country with nuclear weapons and has been significantly expanding its role in the deterrence system in recent months. On March 2, President Emmanuel Macron announced that Paris would increase its nuclear arsenal and involve European allies more deeply in new cooperation formats. In particular, he allowed the temporary deployment of elements of the strategic air forces on the territory of the Union states. This point is contained in the country's new nuclear doctrine.

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and other Russian officials have accused France of seeking to expand its nuclear role in Europe. Moscow argued that Paris, together with London, could build its own deterrence system on the continent, promote the idea of deploying its forces in other countries and thereby strengthen the overall nuclear potential of the West.

"Contrary to the statements of the SVR press office and a number of Russian politicians and officials, France is not considering transferring its nuclear weapons or strategic missiles to any country," the French Embassy in Moscow told Izvestia.

Moreover, Paris is discussing sensitive issues with Moscow within the framework of the permanent five of the UN Security Council.

— In this context, issues of nuclear doctrine and risk reduction are regularly discussed. And what is especially important, if necessary, there is a direct secure line of communication between the French and Russian authorities," the French diplomats stressed.

Izvestia sent a request to the Russian diplomatic mission in France.

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Meanwhile, Paris' strategic stability cooperation with its Western allies is developing. France and Germany have already agreed to create a coordination group on deterrence issues. The Czech Republic has also expressed its desire to discuss its participation in the new French initiative. In addition, according to media reports, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Denmark and Sweden may join the French exercises and other cooperation formats.

— In his statement on Ile Long, President Macron indicated that the temporary deployment of elements of the French strategic air forces on the territory of the Allies is theoretically possible. However, there are no specific plans, and, once again, France is not considering transferring its nuclear weapons or strategic missiles to any country," the diplomats noted.

Poland became the last country to express interest in close cooperation with France in the field of nuclear deterrence. On April 20, Prime Minister Donald Tusk discussed this issue with Macron in Gdansk.

As explained in the French Embassy, the bilateral dialogue with Warsaw was necessary in order to understand whether the parties have a common interest in such a format of cooperation.

"Some European partners may consider cooperating with France in non—nuclear areas, such as space or missile defense, which can usefully enhance deterrence," the diplomats said.

How Paris is strengthening its position in Europe

Paris' activity in the field of nuclear deterrence is explained by the fact that the United States is increasingly demanding that its allies invest more in their own defense, says Dmitry Stefanovich, a researcher at the IMEMO RAS Center for International Security.

— In such a situation, it would be strange for Paris not to take advantage of its unique status as the only EU country with a nuclear arsenal. Under this pretext, the French, in addition to expanding cooperation, will surely seek more active involvement of their allies, including in financing not only the American, but also their own military—industrial complex," he said.

Investments in the defense sector are already growing in France. The country's military budget for 2025 has been increased to €50.5 billion. In addition, the government has launched a mechanism to attract up to €5 billion in capital to the defense industry. At the same time, Paris is trying to integrate French companies into new joint projects.

On April 20, France and Poland announced a military communications satellite project involving Thales Alenia Space, Airbus Defense and Space, and Poland's RADMOR. In addition, Paris remains one of the key participants in the FCAS new generation fighter program, which it is developing together with Germany and Spain. The country is also involved in initiatives on long-range strike systems. That is, France is striving to ensure that the growth of allied military spending works for its own military-industrial complex.

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Separately, coordination with London is being strengthened. In July 2025, France and the United Kingdom signed the Northwood Declaration. The document says that their nuclear forces remain independent, but can be coordinated. At the same time, a joint Franco-British coordination group on nuclear deterrence was established.

However, London's role in this scheme differs from the French one, Stefanovic noted. Britain is not a member of the European Union, and its nuclear forces are based on ballistic missile submarines. Therefore, London has limited opportunities to place such elements on the territory of other countries.

— In addition, they have only recently decided to return to participating in joint NATO nuclear missions. To do this, London plans to adjust purchases of the F-35 — less for the aircraft carrier component and more for the land—based version, which can use American nuclear bombs, the expert emphasized.

The situation is complicated by the fact that on February 5, the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START Treaty) between the Russian Federation and the United States ceased to operate. Washington has called for a new, broader format of agreements with the participation of China. Beijing responded by calling joining the Russian-American talks "unwise and unrealistic." China explains this by saying that it adheres to a defensive nuclear strategy and does not consider its forces comparable to the arsenals of Russia and the United States.

Moscow, in turn, insists that future agreements should take into account not only the United States, but also the nuclear capabilities of Britain and France. The Russian side believes that without this, it is becoming more difficult to discuss the new regime of restrictions.

At the same time, Paris and London are in no hurry to integrate their forces into such a scheme, since they consider them as an independent element of national deterrence, and not as part of the Russian-American agreements. France separately emphasizes that its nuclear forces complement the NATO system, but the decision on their use remains solely with the President of the republic.