BRUSSELS: Poland and Baltic nations welcomed Thursday a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron to launch talks about using France鈥檚 nuclear deterrent to protect the continent from Russian threats, a move Moscow quickly dismissed as 鈥渆xtremely confrontational.鈥�
The comments came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined European Union leaders in Brussels for an emergency summit on defense and security.
On Wednesday, Macron said he has decided to open a 鈥渟trategic debate鈥� on using France鈥檚 nuclear deterrent to protect European allies amid concerns over potential US disengagement. The French president described Moscow a 鈥渢hreat to France and Europe,鈥� in a televised address to the nation.
France is the only nuclear power in the European Union.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday Macron鈥檚 speech was 鈥渆xtremely confrontational.鈥�
鈥淥ne can conclude that France thinks more about war, about continuing the war,鈥� he said during a regular call with journalists.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed Peskov, saying during a news conference in Moscow that Macron鈥檚 comments were a 鈥渢hreat鈥� against Russia.
In Brussels, several eastern European nations welcomed Macron鈥檚 move.
Poland鈥檚 Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose country holds the EU鈥檚 rotating presidency, said 鈥渨e must seriously consider this proposal.鈥�
He noted that 鈥渁s always, the details matter, but France鈥檚 willingness in this regard is very significant.鈥�
Baltic nations also showed interest in Macron鈥檚 offering as they push for more defense spending by EU countries to avoid any future aggression by neighboring Russia.
Lithuania鈥檚 President Gitanas Naus臈da praised a 鈥渧ery interesting idea.鈥�
鈥淲e have high expectations because a nuclear umbrella would serve as really very serious deterrence toward Russia,鈥� Naus臈da said.
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Sili艈a called the French proposal 鈥渁n opportunity to discuss,鈥� stressing that more time was needed to have talks with other European allies and at the domestic level.
The Federation of American Scientists, or FAS, says France maintains the world鈥檚 fourth largest nuclear arsenal, with an estimated 290 nuclear warheads.
The United Kingdom, which is no longer an EU member but is working on restoring closer ties with the 27-nation bloc, also has nuclear weapons.
鈥淚n terms of extending our nuclear deterrent or using it to protect other European nations 鈥�- we already do,鈥� said Tom Wells, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 鈥淭he UK already commits its nuclear forces to NATO, helping to safeguard European Euro-Atlantic security.鈥�
During the Cold War, the US nuclear umbrella was aimed at ensuring that allies, especially NATO members, would be protected by American nuclear forces in case of a threat. That鈥檚 one of the reasons why many nations in Europe and across the world haven鈥檛 pursued their own nuclear arsenals.
Last month, Germany鈥檚 election winner and likely future chancellor Friedrich Merz called for a discussion on 鈥渘uclear sharing鈥� with France. Germany is among the European countries that host US nuclear weapons under NATO鈥檚 nuclear sharing policy,
Macron said Wednesday any decision to use France鈥檚 nuclear weapons would remain only in the hands of the French president.