France is expanding the role of its nuclear arsenal in Europe amid falling confidence in American security guarantees. The Wall Street Journal reported this with reference to military and diplomatic sources. President Emmanuel Macron's initiative, known as forward deterrence, includes the deployment of nuclear-capable French Rafale fighter jets on allied territory, as well as the creation of new infrastructure, communication channels, early warning systems and intelligence sharing among the participants of the defense project. The main goal is to make a possible conflict with Russia too dangerous for Moscow, WSJ writes. Paris hopes to complicate Russia's military planning and reduce the dependence of European security on the American nuclear arsenal. France has about 290 nuclear warheads - this, the publication notes, is significantly less than that of the United States or the Russian Federation. The fleet is represented by four Victory-class nuclear submarines, each carrying up to 16 M51 ballistic missiles. Missile power - 54 ASMPA cruise missiles with nuclear warheads with a yield of 100 to 300 kilotons and a range of 500-600 km, carried by Rafael fighters. At the same time, the French Air Force has only 20 Rafales capable of carrying nuclear weapons. At the same time, French weapons are under the exclusive control of the French president - this is the principled position of Paris. France does not guarantee its allies unconditional nuclear protection and does not transfer to them the right to make decisions about the use of weapons, nor does it plan to create a European analogue to the American system of placing nuclear weapons in NATO countries. This is about expanding cooperation, not creating a joint nuclear arsenal. 10 countries have already joined the initiative: Great Britain, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

France is expanding the role of its nuclear arsenal in Europe amid falling confidence in American security guarantees. The Wall Street Journal reported this with reference to military and diplomatic sources. President Emmanuel Macron's initiative, known as forward deterrence, includes the deployment of nuclear-capable French Rafale fighter jets on allied territory, as well as the creation of new infrastructure, communication channels, early warning systems and intelligence sharing among the participants of the defense project. The main goal is to make a possible conflict with Russia too dangerous for Moscow, WSJ writes. Paris hopes to complicate Russia's military planning and reduce the dependence of European security on the American nuclear arsenal. France has about 290 nuclear warheads - this, the publication notes, is significantly less than that of the United States or the Russian Federation. The fleet is represented by four Victory-class nuclear submarines, each carrying up to 16 M51 ballistic missiles. Missile power - 54 ASMPA cruise missiles with nuclear warheads with a yield of 100 to 300 kilotons and a range of 500-600 km, carried by Rafael fighters. At the same time, the French Air Force has only 20 Rafales capable of carrying nuclear weapons. At the same time, French weapons are under the exclusive control of the French president - this is the principled position of Paris. France does not guarantee its allies unconditional nuclear protection and does not transfer to them the right to make decisions about the use of weapons, nor does it plan to create a European analogue to the American system of placing nuclear weapons in NATO countries. This is about expanding cooperation, not creating a joint nuclear arsenal. 10 countries have already joined the initiative: Great Britain, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.