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00:00Under a looming Russia and the fracturing transatlantic alliance, the French president
00:05has made an urgent rallying cry and evoked the possibility of nuclear defence.
00:13Russia has become a threat to France and Europe.
00:17I want to believe that the US will stand by us, but we have to be ready if this is not
00:22the case.
00:24France is the only EU nation with nuclear arms and Emmanuel Macron is now opening a
00:29debate on extending its so-called nuclear umbrella over European allies.
00:34The Kremlin reacted to his proposal by turning the tables.
00:40Of course this is a threat against Russia.
00:43If he considers us a threat, calls a meeting of the chiefs of staff of European countries
00:47and Britain, says that it is necessary to use nuclear weapons, prepares to use nuclear
00:53weapons against Russia, this is certainly a threat.
00:58France's nuclear force was conceived specifically as a deterrent.
01:02It's now the fourth largest in the world after Russia, the US and China, though its 290 warheads
01:08are dwarfed by the 5,000 plus held by Russia.
01:12Its origins date back to the Cold War era.
01:14In the 1950s and 60s, President Charles de Gaulle built on the previous government's
01:19decision to develop nuclear arms, considering it essential to France's national security
01:24and its international influence.
01:27That's come more and more into focus since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and
01:31as the Trump administration continues to make isolationist moves.
01:36President de Gaulle built up France's nuclear capability because he believed the country
01:40needed to have the means to defend itself if there came a time the US was not willing
01:45or able to come to the aid of European allies.
01:49That time may have come.