FRANCE is said to be ready to deploy a “nuclear shield” to help protect Europe from any looming Russian threats.
President Emmanuel Macron is leading the way in helping to protect the Continent after he held “productive” talks with Donald Trump over ending the Ukraine war.
Macron has suggested a truce could be agreed between Kyiv and Moscow in a matter of weeks following the Trump chat[/caption]
The conflict in Ukraine has now entered its fourth year with fighting still raging along the border[/caption]
Macron suggested a truce could be agreed between Kyiv and Moscow in a matter of weeks as he spoke to Fox News following the Trump chat.
The positive comments come just days after the conflict entered its fourth year with fighting still raging along the border.
Macron’s France have also reportedly proposed the idea of sending fighter jets carrying nuclear weapons across to Germany.
The deterrent would act as a stark warning to Russia’s tyrant Vladimir Putin, a French official told The Telegraph.
It would “send a strong message” to Moscow that Europe is still prepared to defend Ukraine regardless of a peace deal being agreed.
Diplomats in Berlin also hope it will place pressure on UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to deploy British jets as well.
France’s nuclear deterrent – said to hold up to 300 missiles – is currently independent from Nato whereas Britain’s forms a key part of the alliance’s defence strategy.
Germany’s Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU) and man tipped to become the country’s next chancellor, has already welcomed the idea of sending extra defences to Berlin.
He said last Friday that Paris and London should discuss “whether their nuclear protection could also be extended to us”.
Germany currently holds an arsenal of nuclear missiles sent to them by the US which has long guaranteed the Continent’s safety.
However, Macron alone has over three times more weapons available at his disposal with Britain also capable of bulking up Europe’s border.
It is unclear if Trump will move his deterrents if the UK and France do decide to bolster defences.
This has been seen as a sign of Europe continuing to try and create a stronger alliance which isn’t as dependent on America’s help.
In Merz’s victory speech after topping the German polls he urged leaders to look towards an “independent European defence capability”..
His remarks came after brave Volodymyr Zelensky called for the creation of an “Army of Europe” to take on Russia earlier this month.
EUROPE MEETS TRUMP
Macron and Starmer are both leading the way in trying to urge Washington to listen to all parties involved in a truce including – Europe and Ukraine – after recent US-Russia only talks.
Macron stood side-by-side with Trump in the White House on Monday to discuss the war.
It was the first meeting between the Republican and a European leader since Trump re-entered office in January.
Speaking together at a podium, Macron said peace “must not be a surrender of Ukraine” as he also called on Europeans to do more to protect the Continent.
Macron sits in a Dassault Aviation Rafale fighter jet in 2017 after he reportedly proposed the idea of sending jets carrying nuclear weapons to Germany[/caption]
Ukrainian soldiers of the 43rd Artillery Brigade fire a howitzer[/caption]
Macron and Keir Starmer are both leading the way in trying to help Europe get a seat at the table in the peace talks[/caption]
Starmer is also due to meet with President Trump on Thursday to hold similar talks.
Trump spoke with his “friend” Macron, as he repeated the war in Ukraine would “never have happened if I was president”.
He also made a stern warning that any overspill outside of Ukraine’s borders could have a devastating outcome if a peace deal isn’t secured soon.
He said: “There will be a point where it is not going to stop at those two countries.
“Already there is such involvement from other countries and it could really lead to a very big war, World War III, and we are not gonna let that happen either.”
Meanwhile Macron echoed Trump’s words but made it clear that Ukraine’s future should be prioritised and that the US and Europe need to “shoulder” responsibilities.
And on the prospect of European troops being used as peacemakers in Ukraine, Macron clarified that troops “would not be on the front line, but mark a presence in Ukraine as a guarantee”.
The French leader grimaced after Trump incorrectly suggested European assistance to Ukraine would be in the form of loans.
Macron said: “Europe is willing to step up to be a stronger partner, to do more on defence and security on this continent, as well as to be a reliable partner.”
Time to rearm
The Sun Says…
THREE years on from the start of Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine and the war has seen more than 1.3million killed or injured.
Brave Volodymyr Zelensky’s offer to step down as Ukrainian president — in answer to Donald Trump’s bogus charge that he is a dictator — shows his commitment to peace.
But he is not the problem.
Blood-soaked Putin has already sacrificed more than 860,000 of his own soldiers and is no more bothered by current losses of 1,500 a day than he is by the deaths of 12,000 Ukrainian civilians ruthlessly targeted by his forces.
He is supported in this slaughter by the terrorists of Tehran and North Korean madman Kim Jong-un.
Meanwhile, China watches on.
The world is a very dangerous place right now and Europe cannot keep relying on America to fight its battles.
Even pacifists like Stephen Fry recognise that increasing spending on defence is not about ideology. It’s about self-preservation.
Sir Keir Starmer hinted that Britain will raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030 and offer 30,000 peace-keeping troops for Ukraine.
But that is meaningless when we don’t have 30,000 troops to spare, when 2.5 per cent is not enough and 2030 is too far away.
What are we waiting for?
He added that there is “good reason” to re-engage with Putin, but “being strong and having deterrence capabilities is the only way” to ensure an agreement is “respected”.
Macron said that his aim is to “try to get something first which can be assessed, checked and verified” and “ensure that we build sufficient guarantees in the short-run”.
The French president added: “This is where we are ready to be engaged.
“A lot of my European colleagues are ready to be engaged.
After the meeting, the United States shockingly sided with Russia in a UN vote on a resolution demanding that Putin’s troops leave Ukraine.
The US President’s administration joined Iran, North Korea, Belarus, Hungary and 13 others to oppose the call — with China abstaining.
Yet 93 countries voted in favour of the Ukraine-tabled resolution — which branded Russia the “aggressor” — including the UK and most European nations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has long called on his European allies to give him more support[/caption]
US, Russian and Saudi representatives spoke at Riyadh’s Diriyah Palace over peace talks on February 18 – notably excluding Europe and Ukraine[/caption]
