Norway will join Franceʼs “nuclear umbrella”, in particular due to Russiaʼs rearmament

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has said that his country will join Franceʼs nuclear deterrence initiative.

His words are reported by Reuters.

On May 27, Støre met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. The leaders signed a defense agreement that includes Norway joining the French nuclear weapons initiative.

The Norwegian Prime Minister said he was doing this "in light of the security policy situation in Europe", particularly Russiaʼs large-scale rearmament and the fact that it is waging a full-scale war against another European country. Støre said that another reason was growing concern in Europe about the USʼs commitment to the regionʼs security.

At the same time, nuclear weapons will not be deployed in Norway in peacetime.

Along with Norway, nine other European countries have joined the French initiative: the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and Greece. This means that in the event of an attack on these countries, one of the options is for France to use its nuclear weapons.

• In late February 2025, The Telegraph, citing sources, wrote that France was ready to use its nuclear deterrent to defend Europe. To do this, it could send nuclear-armed fighter jets to Germany.
• A year later, Bloomberg reported that European countries were discussing building their own nuclear defense systems for the first time since the end of the Cold War, as the United States was no longer a reliable military partner. Among European countries, only the United Kingdom and France have nuclear weapons. France currently has about 300 nuclear warheads.
• In March, President Emmanuel Macron said that France would increase the number of nuclear warheads and no longer disclose data on its nuclear arsenal.

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