More than half of the French population supports the idea of using France’s nuclear weapons to safeguard its European allies.

Nearly 60% of respondents in a survey by the Elabe Institute, commissioned by BFMTV, expressed this view.

This aligns with President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to establish a “nuclear umbrella” for the European Union as a deterrent against Russia.

59% of surveyed French people agreed with the statement that “it is in France‘s interest to protect other European countries, including with nuclear weapons.”

This idea has the strongest support among voters of left-wing parties (76%), supporters of President Macron (84%), and right-wing voters (65%), but significantly less among far-right voters (39%).

In addition, 77% of respondents fear that Russia’s war against Ukraine will spread to other countries, and 23% believe that France could also be drawn into the war.

Meanwhile, 56% of respondents believe that France is a great military power, and 60% think that it is capable of helping other European countries in the event of an attack by Russia.

At the same time, only 48% believe that France could successfully defend itself in the event of a Russian attack on its territory.

And only 41% of respondents think that France is militarily strong enough to deter Russia from an attack.

The survey was prompted by French President Emmanuel Macron’s statement about the possibility of using French nuclear forces to defend European allies instead of the United States.

French nuclear weapons

France’s nuclear doctrine is based on the principles of national sovereignty and deterrence (dissuasion nucléaire). According to data from 2023, the country possesses around 290 nuclear warheads, making it the fourth-largest nuclear power after Russia, the USA, and China.

France’s nuclear forces consist of two main components – sea-based and air-based.