France presses Germany to clarify long-range missile use against Russia

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 11 Nov, 15:50 · Archive

France is holding talks with Germany about how Berlin would use long-range missiles against Russia, citing fears of accidentally triggering nuclear retaliation.

France is holding talks with German officials to understand how Berlin would deploy long-range missiles against Russia, according to six officials cited by the Financial Times. Paris has raised concerns that Germany's plans to use 'deep precision strikes' lack sufficient clarity, creating risks of escalation.

Germany is developing ground-launched missiles with a range of up to 2,000km, giving Berlin the capability to hit targets deep inside Russia. This is part of broader European efforts by countries including France, Germany, the UK, Poland and Nordic and Baltic states to strengthen their long-range defence capabilities as the Ukraine war approaches its fifth year.

French officials fear that an attack on Russian targets with conventional weapons could trigger a nuclear response if Moscow misinterprets the signalling. One French official told the outlets: 'If the Russians don't get the signal right you could get to the nuclear threshold without realising.' The concern is compounded by Emmanuel Macron's 'forward deterrence' policy, which means Russia could hold France accountable for strikes by its allies.

The talks focus on aligning defence strategies between the two countries. France is particularly attentive to Germany's plans given Berlin's large defence budget, which outlets report is €780bn over a five-year period to 2030. European concerns over potential conflict with Russia have intensified amid uncertainty over US support following Donald Trump's recent dealings with Vladimir Putin.

How it is being reported

• France warns Germany its missile programme ‘could accidentally provoke nuclear war with Russia’Officials are concerned that Germany could inadvertently ‘get to the nuclear threshold without realising’Independent World · 11 Nov, 09:47
• France fears Germany could spark nuclear war fears with plan for long-range missile use against RussiaThe French are holding talks with German officials to understand how Berlin would use deep precision strikes in order to align strategies should the continent go to war with Moscow,Daily Mail · 11 Nov, 09:39
• France pressures Germany over nuclear risks of long-range missilesParis asks Berlin to clarify when it would use ‘deep precision strikes’ against Russia to avoid nuclear retaliationFinancial Times · 11 Nov, 05:00

In this story: France · Germany · Russia · Emmanuel Macron · Vladimir Putin · Donald Trump

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log