Overview

• On July 10 in London, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed an agreement to coordinate their nations’ nuclear deterrents while maintaining national command.
• The pact confirms that each country retains sovereign control over its arsenal but establishes a framework for joint decision-making against any extreme threat to Europe.
• Leaders have opened talks on extending the coordinated nuclear umbrella to Germany even as Berlin affirms its commitment to NATO’s U.S. nuclear sharing.
• The move underscores a European push for greater strategic autonomy fueled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and uncertainties over U.S. nuclear guarantees.
• France maintains roughly 290 warheads across land-based and submarine platforms, the UK fields about 225 sea-based warheads, and the U.S. continues to station weapons in Europe.