French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his perspective on how France's nuclear capabilities can enhance European defense amid the continent's urgent efforts to rearm against a hostile Russia and shifting American support.
Macron's speech at France's Ile Longue nuclear submarine facility will be scrutinized all over Europe, which has depended on the United States' nuclear deterrent for years but is currently discussing the enhancement of its own stockpiles.
He is anticipated to revise France's nuclear strategy, with a team member informing AFP to anticipate "rather notable changes and advancements," yet they chose not to provide additional specifics.
Macron has earlier suggested evaluating how France -- the sole nuclear power in the European Union -- might aid in safeguarding Europe.
He mentioned that this month he is contemplating a policy that might encompass "special collaboration, joint training, and common security interests with specific important nations."
Macron stated last year that he was open to negotiating the potential stationing of French aircraft equipped with nuclear arms in various European nations.
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France possesses the fourth-largest nuclear arsenal globally, estimated to contain approximately 290 warheads. Britain, which left the EU in 2016, is the sole other nuclear power in Europe.
In contrast, the United States and Russia, the two primary nuclear powers globally, possess thousands of nuclear warheads individually.
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Assurances from US officials that Washington's deterrence will still protect Europe through the NATO alliance have hardly alleviated European concerns about unpredictability under US President Donald Trump.
"Bernard Rogel, who was a senior military advisor to Macron, stated to AFP, 'It is evident that we must think collaboratively about how French and British deterrence can integrate into a more robust European defense.'"
This month, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that he was engaged in "private discussions with the French president regarding European nuclear deterrence".
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The Prime Minister of Britain, Keir Starmer, has stated that the UK's nuclear deterrent currently safeguards other NATO allies, but emphasized that he is "improving our nuclear collaboration with France."