Macron says Europe should consider developing nuclear defense

French President Emmanuel Macron said on stage at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) on Saturday that Europe should have nuclear defense “without always going through the United States.”

Macron was referring specifically to Europe’s nuclear assets, pointing out a key difference to the Cold War era when Europe’s nuclear shield was primarily coordinated by the US. “Now we have to be able to say clearly that if we want a sovereign Europe, if we want to protect our citizens, then we do need to look at that aspect, also with a view to Germany,” he said.

Macron said he was “convinced that we need a much stronger Europe in defense.”

The French President was careful to correct what he saw as a misunderstanding: Greater European military cooperation, which was necessary “due to reasons of sovereignty,” was “not a project against NATO or instead of NATO.”

“I’ve said it before: Common security in Europe has two pillars, and one of these pillars is NATO and the other one is a Europe of defense,” he said.

While Macron believed Europe required “the ability to act” independently, he felt nuclear issues needed to be managed in cooperation with NATO. “In this framework we’re willing to conduct joint exercises,” he said. “Because the goal of that is a joint strategic culture.”

This annual gathering brings together presidents, prime ministers, foreign and defense ministers from more than 40 countries, as well as representatives from business and international organizations.

This year’s attendees included French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. US delegates included Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.