France and Britain are ready to “coordinate” their nuclear deterrent assets and protect Europe from any “extreme threat” by radically changing their respective defence doctrines against the backdrop of deteriorating European security, Paris and London announced yesterday (Wednesday).

On the occasion of an official visit to Britain, French President Emanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Kire Starmer will sign a new declaration today that will stress “for the first time” that “all the deterrents of the two countries are independent but can be coordinated,” Britain’s Defence Ministry and the French presidency said.

They added that there is “no major threat to Europe that will not be responded to by the two countries,” without clarifying the nature of that “response.”

National sovereignty over the decision to use nuclear weapons remains absolute, but “any adversary threatening vital interests of the United Kingdom or France may be confronted with the strength of the two countries’ nuclear forces,” London and Paris said.

According to the French presidency, a “nuclear oversight group” co-chaired by Eliezer and the Cabinet Office (the government’s presidency ministry) will be tasked with “coordinating the growing policy in the field of politics, capabilities and operations.”

It is 30 years since the Joint Chequers Declaration of 1995, when the two countries, the only nuclear-armed powers in Western Europe, had not yet developed their framework for deterrence cooperation. However, since then, the security situation in Europe has changed dramatically, especially after Russia’s military invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Uncertainty about the US commitment to its European allies and allies in NATO raises doubts about whether US guarantees of European security are still valid.