Defense: Norway supports the “advanced nuclear deterrent” proposed by France

Norway has given its agreement to join the “advanced nuclear deterrent” alongside France, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday May 27 during a visit to Paris by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, on the occasion of which the two countries have strengthened their defense cooperation. “You have given your agreement for Norway to join what we called advanced nuclear deterrence. This is a very important step in our partnership and it will be the driving force behind very ambitious cooperation,” said Emmanuel Macron during a joint press conference with Jonas Gahr Stoere.

“This agreement now provides for a principle of mutual assistance between our two countries, establishes regular dialogues at all levels between our armies, provides for a strengthening of cooperation in several major key areas – anti-aircraft defense, Arctic, Far North, space”, added the president French, who also underlined the crucial role of the two countries in supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia.

For a long time, only two European countries have nuclear weapons – France and Great Britain – the main deterrent force for most countries on the continent has been the United States, a symbol of transatlantic solidarity in place for decades.

But the radical shift made by Donald Trump, returning to power in January 2025, has shaken European governments, while the American president has moved closer to Russia, despite its invasion of Ukraine, and adopted a more aggressive attitude towards Washington’s traditional allies, threatening for example to seize Greenland by force.

An “essential strategic awakening”

Russia’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric, in this fifth year of war at the gates of Europe and in the absence of progress in the peace negotiations led by the United States, has fueled European concerns.

Stressing that Europe was facing “renewed threats”, Emmanuel Macron declared on Wednesday alongside Jonas Gahr Stoere that it was “our duty to accelerate this cooperation”, evoking a “moment of strategic awakening essential to Europe”. “Norway is today a valuable and essential partner for the collective security of Europeans and the French,” he also said, noting Norway’s “key role within the coalition of the willing” for Ukraine.

Last March, during a speech on the Longue Island base, near Brest (Finistère), where the French nuclear missile submarines are stationed, Emmanuel Macron announced the increase in the number of French nuclear warheads and mentioned this concept of “advanced” deterrence, citing the “hardening” of the international geopolitical context.

He also specified that Germany would be a key partner in this effort, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz having confirmed discussions on the issue. Paris and Berlin want to “strengthen their cooperation in terms of deterrence in response to evolving threats,” the two leaders said in a joint statement. Several other countries – Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden – have also expressed interest in the project, discussed notably during a European summit in Brussels earlier this year.