French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will increase the number of its nuclear warheads and allow the temporary deployment of its nuclear-armed aircraft to eight European countries to bolster the security of the continent.

His speech at France’s Ile Longue nuclear submarine base on Monday introduced the idea of “advanced deterrence”, a deeper, structured nuclear-security relationship with key European partners that he said was distinct from but complementary to NATO’s nuclear arrangements.

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Macron’s speech, which was scheduled before the widening conflict in the Middle East, was aimed at quelling European security concerns amid recurring tensions with United States President Donald Trump and growing fears of Russian aggression amid Russia’s war on Ukraine.

“We must strengthen our nuclear deterrent in the face of multiple threats, and we must consider our deterrence strategy deep within the European continent, with full respect for our sovereignty,” Macron said.

“To be free, one needs to be feared,” the president said in his speech.

The eight European countries that have agreed to participate in Macron’s scheme include Germany, Britain, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Denmark.

They will be able to host French “strategic air forces”, which will be able to “spread out across the European continent” to “complicate the calculations of our adversaries”, he said.

Macron announced the new measures as France’s allies are concerned that a possible win by the far-right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen in next year’s presidential election could undermine cooperation in Europe.

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“An upgrade of our arsenal is essential,” Macron said. “That’s why I ordered an increase in the number of nuclear warheads in our arsenal.”

Macron also said that France will no longer disclose the figures for its nuclear arsenal, reversing past transparency practices.

A more ‘hardening’ world

Macron’s announcement came as he claimed that the world is “hardening”, with adversaries “bolder”, alliances more uncertain, and nuclear risks higher than in the past.

Russia is waging a “slow and cruel” war against Ukraine; China has embarked on a rapid military build-up to catch up with the US and now “manufactures more weapons than any other country”; and in Asia, India, Pakistan, and North Korea are “rapidly expanding” their arsenals and strategic forces, said Macron.

Meanwhile, the Middle East is a source of ongoing instability to Europe, the French leader said, warning that a widening war between the US, Israel and Iran risks spilling over to Europe’s borders.

“This is not about entering into any kind of arms race … The essential point, as I said, is that no adversary, or any combination of adversaries, should be able to contemplate the possibility of any strike against France without the certainty of suffering damage from which they would not recover,” said Macron.

France maintains the world’s fourth-largest nuclear arsenal, estimated at around 290 warheads. It has not increased its arsenal since at least 1992. Britain, which is no longer a member of the European Union, is the only other European nuclear power.

By contrast, the US and Russia, the world’s two main atomic powers, have thousands of nuclear warheads each.