Poland, Lithuania signal openness to French nuclear deterrence for Europe

Polish and Lithuanian leaders spoke in positive terms on March 6 about French President Emmanuel Macron's suggestion that Paris could extend its nuclear umbrella to protect European allies.

Macron proposed to start "strategic discussions" on the subject as he warned Europe against the Russian threat and stressed that European countries should no longer rely on the U.S. for their security. France is the only EU country with nuclear weapons.

"This readiness of France, this is something very promising," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters in Brussels on the sidelines of an EU summit.

"We have to treat this proposal seriously."

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called it a "very interesting idea," adding that a nuclear umbrella would serve as an effective deterrence against potential Russian aggression.

Both Poland and Lithuania lie at NATO's eastern flank and share a border with Moscow's ally Belarus and the heavily armed exclave of Kaliningrad, putting them on the front line of a potential NATO-Russia clash.

The idea of nuclear sharing with France was also previously floated by Friedrich Merz, who is likely to be Germany's next chancellor after victory in the February elections.

The discussion comes amid mounting uncertainty of the U.S.'s commitment to European security under President Donald Trump.

The Trump administration has frozen military aid for Ukraine and signaled that its geopolitical focus will no longer be on the European continent. Washington also seeks to renew its relationship with Moscow, supposedly in an effort to drive it away from China.

European leaders are gathering in Brussels to discuss the EU's need to boost defense spending and support for Ukraine. This involves the European Commission's ReArm Europe plan that could mobilize up to 800 billion euros ($860 billion) to arm Europe and Ukraine.