Macron: France will increase number of its nuclear warheads

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced an expansion of the country's nuclear arsenal.

According to Le Figaro, as Macron noted in his speech on Île Longue, his responsibility is to ensure that "our deterrent retains, and continues to retain, its destructive power in a dangerous, changing and unstable environment. That is why I have ordered an increase in the number of nuclear warheads in our arsenal."

Meanwhile, he stated that no digital data on France's nuclear arsenal will be made public in the future.

"To put an end to any speculation, we will no longer communicate figures regarding our nuclear arsenal, unlike what may have been the case in the past," he remarked.

Macron also stressed: "To be free, one must command respect, and to command respect, one must be strong. The increase in our arsenal is proof of that."

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that a group of European countries has begun discussing options for their own nuclear deterrence, as confidence in the reliability of the United States as an ally has been shaken.

Meanwhile, US Deputy Secretary of Defence Elbridge Colby stated that the United States intends to continue providing Europe with a "nuclear umbrella".