The French opposition has sharply criticised President Emmanuel Macron for his remarks about the possibility of using French nuclear weapons to defend the European Union.
Mathilde Panot of La France Insoumise (LFI) on RTL radio called Macron’s words “madness” and an “irresponsible step”, emphasising that such a position increases the risk of nuclear conflict in Europe. She pointed out the inconsistency with French nuclear doctrine, which does not favour the idea of a nuclear umbrella. She said:
We are not going to fan the flames of nuclear war for the sake of another country.
Thierry Mariani of Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (RN) party accused Macron of threatening national security. In addition, the MEP considered Macron a “threat to the nation.” Le Pen accused the president of lying about sharing nuclear funds with the EU, although he had previously allegedly denied such a possibility.
Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, a French politician and a leader of the party Debout la France (France Arise), commented on Macron’s words on X:
High treason! Impeachment is necessary.
French nuclear weapons “will allow the building of security guarantees that are expected in Europe, as well as neighbourly relations with Russia,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday.
According to Macron, his country’s nuclear weapons contribute to the formation of “security guarantees” which in turn are needed by “all partners” of Paris within Europe.
In an interview set up by EBRA, a group of French eastern regional newspapers, he said a “credible European defence” should go beyond the protection already offered by NATO. He added:
That may mean deploying anti-missile shields, but we need to be sure that they block all missiles and deter the use of nuclear weapons.
