Lithuania’s Prime Minister, Gintautas Paluckas, has expressed doubts about France’s capacity to provide a strong “nuclear umbrella” for Europe, calling it “weak.”
His comments highlight concerns over France’s ability to ensure Europe’s security in the context of nuclear deterrence.
“Today, Lithuania is under the protection of NATO’s ‘nuclear umbrella.’ Seven NATO countries are involved in the nuclear deterrence program. The French proposal is interesting, but I want to say that the French nuclear arsenal and their ability to protect the European ‘umbrella’ are still very weak,” Paluckas stated.
He emphasized that, while discussions on the matter are welcome, Lithuania’s current security is secured by NATO’s nuclear deterrence. “We can talk about what we want, what we can afford, and what the effect will be. We can do this at the State Defense Council, and then we will have a plan, but today this plan is based on NATO’s nuclear deterrence ‘umbrella,'” he noted.
These remarks follow French President Emmanuel Macron’s strategic speech on March 5, in which he confirmed that France is prepared to offer its “nuclear umbrella” to European allies. However, Paluckas remains cautious about relying on France’s capabilities for Europe’s defense.
