Emmanuel Macron said today that even if Russia deploys a nuclear bomb on Ukraine, France will not retaliate with one.
According to Mr. Macron, French nuclear policy only permits the deployment of the weapons in the event of a direct danger to the nation or its “fundamental interests.”
He said on morning TV that “they are specified precisely and wouldn’t be directly impacted at all” in the event of, say, a ballistic nuclear assault on Ukraine or the surrounding area.
With both NATO and Russia set to conduct nuclear exercises in the coming days, Mr. Macron spoke amid an uptick in nuclear sabre-rattling around Ukraine.
Nearby nations are bracing for the fallout as tensions rise, and residents of Finland raced to purchase iodine tablets, which help reduce certain radioactive effects.
Helsinki officials recommended everyone to purchase at least one dosage of this medication, which prevents radioactive iodine from piling up in the thyroid gland, which may lead to cancer.
Due to the sudden demand for the pills, drug wholesalers and pharmacies across reported that their inventories were depleted.
There are concerns that Vladimir Putin would turn to the nuclear option if his war effort fails after threatening Ukraine and its allies with nuclear weapons a week ago as he seized four occupied areas.
Observers claim that Putin has not yet made any moves to deploy them, choosing instead to target Ukraine this week with a tremendous barrage of conventional missiles.
Speaking as NATO defense ministers gathered to discuss military assistance to Ukraine, Macron stated that France is contemplating deploying additional artillery and air defense troops that can shoot down Russian missiles.
Macron also urged Putin to pick up the peace talks with Kiev.
Macron said to network France 2, “Today, first and foremost, Vladimir Putin must put an end to this conflict, respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine, and return to the table for dialogue.”
NATO’s covert Nuclear Planning Group met today to consider conducting a nuclear test the following week in addition to arranging for the delivery of conventional weapons to Ukraine.
The “regular” exercise was created to evaluate the “readiness” of NATO’s nuclear arsenal, according to Ben Wallace, the UK defense minister who attended the conference.
He said that Russia’s impending exercise and the potential for misinterpretation of signals from either side may result in an inadvertent conflict made the situation more problematic.
Wallace informed reporters that “Russia will also be performing their yearly exercise, I suppose the week following or soon after the annual exercise.”
“What we don’t want to do is act unconventionally,”
Llyod Austin, the US defense secretary, said that NATO is committed to protecting “every single” piece of ally land before to the conference.
Every year, around the same time, NATO conducts an exercise known as “Steadfast Noon” that lasts for roughly a week.
Although no live bombs are used, it entails testing the capabilities of fighter planes that can carry nuclear weapons to deliver them.
Regular participants include conventional planes, as well as surveillance and refueling aircraft.
The drill, which was prepared before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, would feature fourteen NATO member nations.
The majority of the exercises will take place more than 625 miles away from Russia.
The NATO organization as a whole lacks any weaponry. The United States, the United Kingdom, and France continue to have complete authority over the nuclear weapons that are ostensibly associated with the alliance.
France, meanwhile, is adamant about preserving its nuclear autonomy and refuses to attend meetings of the Nuclear Planning Group.
Putin has often hinted that he would use nuclear weapons to defend the Russian gains as his war plans have gone astray.
Additionally, the threat is intended to prevent NATO members from supplying Ukraine with more advanced weaponry.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke about the duties of leaders when it comes to nuclear hyperbole in an interview with France 2 television on Wednesday. He claimed to have talked with Putin “many times.”
Macron said, “We have a clear nuclear policy.” “The deterrent is effective.”
However, the less we discuss it and the less we use the threat as leverage, the more credible we seem. There are too many people discussing it.
Putin’s comments were labeled “dangerous and irresponsible” earlier this week by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. He also emphasized that the allies “have also stated clearly to Russia that it would have grave repercussions if they deploy nuclear weapons in any form.”
Stoltenberg said that canceling the exercises by the largest security group in the world “would be precisely the wrong signal to convey.”
The greatest approach to avert an escalation, according to him, is NATO’s tough, predictable conduct and our military might.
“We would heighten the danger of escalation if we now provided the framework for any misconceptions, miscalculations in Moscow about our commitment to protect and defend all friends.”