President Emmanuel Macron has said he will launch a strategic dialogue on extending the protection offered by France's nuclear arsenal to its European partners. Europe's primary nuclear deterrence comes from the United States and is a decades-old symbol of trans-Atlantic solidarity.

The breakdown in U.S.-Ukraine ties has given new urgency to the two European nuclear powers' efforts to pull together ideas for a peace plan that would initially outline a short truce but also eventually include broader security guarantees. Britain and France have both said the U.S. would be needed for future assurances.

In a solemn address on Ukraine and European defense, the French president promised a major budgetary effort and called for a national reflection on 'the solutions of tomorrow.'

To face that threat without the United States, Macron said he had decided to open a strategic debate on expanding France's nuclear deterrent to protect the country's European allies — something incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also advocated.

(AP Photo/Harry Nakos) PARIS (AP) — France is also seeking access to Ukraine ‘s deposits of critical minerals, with negotiations already underway for months, the French defense minister said Thursday, indicating that the United States isn’t the only ...

French president’s push to discuss how France’s nuclear weapons could protect Europe was long unsuccessful — until now.