France and the United Kingdom are ready to “coordinate” their nuclear deterrence and protect Europe from any “extreme threat”, an important evolution of its doctrine in the context of the deterioration of European security, the two countries announced on Wednesday, July 9.
During a state visit to the United Kingdom, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, will sign a new statement on Thursday, which “will affirm for the first time that the respective means of deterrence in the two countries are independent but can coordinate,” said the British Ministry of Defense and the French presidency.
They add “there is no extreme threat to Europe that would not arouse a response from the two countries”, without specifying the nature of this response.
The sovereignty of countries remains complete
Sovereignty about the decision to start nuclear fire remains complete, but “any adversary threatening the vital interests of the United Kingdom or France could face the power of the nuclear forces of the two nations,” the two countries say.
According to the French presidency, “a nuclear supervision group”, co -smad by the British office and office, will be responsible for “coordinating the growing cooperation in the field of policies, capacities and operations.”
30 years have passed since the joint declaration known as “Checkers” in 1995, that the United Kingdom and France, only the nuclear powers in Western Europe, had not changed the principle by framing their cooperation in deterrent matters.
This stipulated that the two countries “do not imagine a situation in which the vital interests of one of the two countries (…) could be threatened without the vital interests of the other being also.” But without mentioning the mobilized response in case of a threat.
Since then, security and military context have changed in Europe, particularly since the Russian invasion of Ukraine was launched in 2022. Uncertainty about the commitment of the United States against its European allies and NATO under the presidency of Donald Trump has also promoted several countries to question the solidity of the US security guarantee.
This strengthening of defense cooperation promises to be the main announcement of the Franco-British bilateral summit that Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron must preside over Downing Street.
They must also announce an acceleration of the Joint Cruise Missile Program of scalp/storm shadows and launch the “new phase” of its joint project of future cruise missiles and anti -Navire missiles (FMC/FMAN), according to London.
Bilateral Cooperation Agreements of Lancaster House in 2010 had ratified the creation of a Franco-British joint shipping force (CJEF). Now it will be intended to establish the “base” of the “voluntary coalition” that Paris and London launched in early 2025, which brings together around thirty countries committed to strengthening the defense capabilities of Ukraine and in the guarantee of a high future between Kyiv and Moscow.
Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron must also preside over a videoconference meeting on the coalition on Thursday, in which US representatives should participate, according to the Elysée.
Source: BFM TV
