Macron announced an increase in France's nuclear arsenal.

PARIS: France will increase the number of warheads in its nuclear arsenal, President Emmanuel Macron announced. "I have ordered an increase in the number of nuclear warheads in our arsenal," he said (quoted by Le Monde).

The head of state also announced that Paris would no longer disclose information about its nuclear arsenal. "We are embarking on a path of what I would call forward deterrence," he noted.

The enhanced deterrence strategy will allow European allies to participate in exercises with France and "strengthen defenses by expanding their capabilities," Macron said.

"This will provide new strategic depth, consistent with security challenges in Europe. I believe this will also be of great importance to the partners who join us in this logic and whose territory will be firmly linked to our deterrence," the French president said.

According to him, the initiative will complement NATO's existing nuclear mission.
Macron emphasized that France's nuclear doctrine will retain its strictly defensive nature and provides for the separation of weapons into nuclear and conventional.

The French president explained the need for a new approach to containment policy by saying that “Europeans are accustomed to their security depending on rules established by third parties.”

“More than anything in the world, as you have already understood, I want Europeans to regain control of their own destiny,” he noted.

Macron also announced the construction of a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. It will be named L'Invincible (Invincible) and will be launched in 2036, the head of state said.

Russia has never initiated a military confrontation, but will respond to the militarization of European countries, President Vladimir Putin has said. He insisted that Russia has no intention of going to war with Europe, and he dismissed claims of a possible attack as "nonsense."

In February, the Foreign Intelligence Service reported that London and Paris were "actively working" to transfer nuclear weapons—either an atomic bomb or at least a "dirty bomb"—to Kyiv. Britain and France denied this.