France presses Germany to clarify how it would use long-range missiles in war with Russia amid fears of nuclear escalation, FT reports
France is pressing Germany to clarify how it would use long-range missiles in a conflict with Russia, fearing that Europe could be drawn into a nuclear war, the Financial Times reported.
Germany is building up an arsenal of long-range weapons that includes, among other capabilities, the ability to strike deep inside Russia. Against that backdrop, Paris has opened talks with German officials to align Berlin’s doctrine on using long-range weapons with France’s nuclear strategy.
“If the Russians don’t get the signal right you could get to the nuclear threshold without realizing,” one of the Financial Times’ French sources said. French officials worry that Moscow would hold Paris responsible for strikes carried out by its partners.
One of the outlet’s sources said France has developed a “nuclear grammar and vocabulary” that Germany lacks. A senior German official said Berlin “could not agree more” on the need for a common doctrine, adding, “it’s not something that the French are asking for and we are resisting.”
He added that the talks were delayed by internal discussions in France over the future of its nuclear strategy but are now gaining momentum.
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