Paris and London united on nuclear power

Emmanuel Macron et Keir Strammer lors du sommet de l'OTAN en 2024. Foto: UK Government / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY 2.0

(Romain Fournier) – Visiting London since Wednesday, Emmanuel Macron announced, alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a shared desire to “coordinate” the nuclear deterrence strategies of France and the United Kingdom. This unprecedented decision at the European level, presented on Wednesday, July 9, marks a turning point in military cooperation between the continent’s only two nuclear powers. An agreement formalizing this commitment is expected to be signed later today.

In a joint statement, the British Ministry of Defense and the French Presidency emphasized that this initiative aims to “affirm for the first time that the respective deterrents of the two countries are independent, but can be coordinated.” This formula marks an evolution in European nuclear doctrine without calling into question the strategic sovereignty of either country. The two countries also emphasized their common red line: “There is no extreme threat to Europe that would not elicit a response from both countries.”

Coordination, not a merger of forces – There are no plans to pool nuclear arsenals. Paris and London insist that their deterrent forces remain fully independent. But in an unprecedented statement, the two countries now declare that “an adversary threatening the vital interests of the United Kingdom or France could face the combined nuclear forces of both nations.” In other words, a major threat to one could lead to a concerted response from both.

The French presidency also announced the creation of a “nuclear oversight group,” co-chaired by the Élysée Palace and the British Cabinet Office. Its mission: to strengthen growing coordination in doctrine, capabilities, and operational planning. This is the first major development since the Chequers Joint Declaration, signed in 1995, which set out the principles of cooperation between the two nuclear powers of Western Europe.

A European response to global instability – This decision comes amid a climate of heightened military escalation in Ukraine. In recent hours, Kiev has reported one of the most intense air strikes since the start of the war, with several hundred Shahed explosive drones and a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting civilian infrastructure. This intensification once again raises the specter of the use of tactical nuclear weapons. Since 2022, Vladimir Putin has made numerous references to the possible use of nuclear weapons for deterrence or coercion.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Donald Trump’s ambivalent attitude toward the Ukrainian war is fueling concerns. His conciliatory tone toward the Kremlin, coupled with his ambiguous comments on NATO, casts doubt on the strength of the American umbrella. In this context, the nuclear rapprochement between Paris and London stands out as a strong strategic signal: that of a Europe which, faced with the weakening of traditional alliances, intends to take back control of its security, even in the face of the unthinkable.