Macron and French nuclear weapons
Borrell promises "annihilation" of Russian conventional forces if Putin attacks Ukraine with a nuclear weapon.
France is not Spain and Macron is not Sánchez but the French President said something yesterday that’s relevant to everyone in Europe and Borrell has added some more comments today. Macron said during an interview that French nuclear weapons would not be used in response to a Russian nuclear attack on Ukraine. Either Macron failed basic nuclear deterrence class and gave Putin a green light to nuke Ukraine or he is just clarifying French nuclear doctrine that French nuclear forces exist only to defend France and French interests, not Ukraine or anyone else. Maybe both. Separately, the NATO nuclear planning group has met, without France, which habitually has not taken part. EU foreign policy chief Borrell, who doesn’t even command an army, never mind nuclear missiles, has promised the “annihalation” of Russian conventional forces should Putin carry out a nuclear attack in Ukraine. In 2022, there is no EU Army or EU Navy. The French President just clarified that France’s nuclear weapons are just for France, not for defending Ukraine, and France doesn’t take part in the NATO nuclear group. So if they are just for France, then maybe, if it came down to it, they would also not be for defending Germany or Hungary or Finland or…Spain, either. Macron was talking about the immediate situation in Ukraine but the clarifying statement from the sitting French President, one of only two leaders in Europe with nuclear command (Truss in post-Brexit UK is the other one), has grand strategic implications for the rest of the continent.