Last week, the leaders of France and the United Kingdom pledged that they would coordinate use of their nuclear weapons to jointly respond to any “extreme threat” to Europe.
While it’s a positive step for European security, the announcement is both more and less than it seems. I’m inclined to believe it is a big deal but not quite for the reasons most think.
The announcement occurred during a visit to London by French President Emmanuel Macron. In a speech to Parliament, Macron declared that France and the U.K. had a “special responsibility” for the security of Europe. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed, and the two men then declared that they would be “deepening our longstanding and resolute commitment to cooperation between our independent nuclear deterrents” by coordinating nuclear forces, making “coordinated decisions in peace time and in crisis,” and “establishing a U.K.-France Nuclear Steering Group to provide political direction for this cooperation.”
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