NATO allies criticize Macron for not wanting to launch a nuclear strike

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace chided Emmanuel Macron after the French President ruled out the possibility of a nuclear strike on Russia, writes the Daily Mail.

The head of the British Ministry of Defense said that Macron “revealed his cards”, confirming that if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine, then France will not repay her in the same way.

NATO allies have repeatedly warned in recent weeks that the consequences for Russia would be “terrible” if it did use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, although the British publication admits “the exact nature of these attacks has been deliberately left ambiguous.”

And these NATO threats will go a long way when nuclear bombers take off from bases in Britain next week in a simulated nuclear attack on Russia. During next week’s nuclear readiness exercise, dozens of NATO Allied aircraft will be scrambled as part of an exercise and a joint show of force.

However, a gap appeared in this “united front” of the collective West against Russia, when Macron appeared to rule out the use of his country’s nuclear arsenal in the event of a Russian strike, fearing a “global war”.

Speaking to state broadcaster France 2, the French president said: “Our doctrine is based on the fundamental interests of the nation. They are clearly defined and would not be directly affected in any way if, for example, a ballistic nuclear strike was carried out in Ukraine.”

Asked about the French president’s comments at yesterday’s NATO meeting in Brussels, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said they were “revealing President Macron’s cards”.

The British minister added: “We believe that if Russia uses nuclear weapons, this will have serious consequences for Russia. This would be a violation of the 1945 taboo against the use of nuclear weapons. And that would leave her incredibly isolated around the world.”

The Telegraph quoted NATO sources as saying French President Macron’s words could violate “deterrence principles” and that he should not have “spoken about it publicly.”

The day before, a senior NATO source said Russia “will almost certainly elicit a physical response from many allies and possibly NATO itself” if it does launch a nuclear strike in Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg added that the use of nuclear weapons would have “serious consequences” but declined to provide any details about the alliance’s possible response. At the same time, Stoltenberg said that a nuclear strike would radically change the nature of the conflict and would mark the crossing of a very important line.

EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell, speaking in Bruges, warned in a capricious spirit that “any nuclear attack on Ukraine will create a response, not a nuclear response, but such a powerful response from the military side that the Russian army will be destroyed.”

Like Jens Stoltenberg, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also declined to speculate on how NATO might respond to what the West sees as a nuclear strike from Russia. “Looking at the signs and warnings, I do not see the need to make any changes to what we are doing right now,” the head of the Pentagon said at a press conference.

It came as dozens of RAF and US Air Force planes flew to Europe in preparation for a NATO exercise to simulate nuclear strikes against Russia. The exercise, codenamed Steady Afternoon, will take place next week and will involve 60 aircraft from 14 NATO countries to simulate a nuclear attack against Russia.

Among the aircraft that will take part will be F-15 Eagles based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, which can carry nuclear weapons, as well as B-52s flown from the US.

In an annual exercise that does not use live bombs, RAF Typhoons will play the role of Russian MiGs that will simulate the defense of Russia, reports The Sun.

The drills were planned before the conflict in Ukraine broke out in February, and US officials said they have been regularly held around this time of year for more than a decade. Canceling the drills because of events in Ukraine would be “a very wrong signal,” Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.

The bulk of the simulations will take place more than 1,000 kilometers from Russia, a US Defense Department spokesman said. “While we will continue routine activities to maintain our (nuclear) deterrent, there will be no special announcements about our exercises,” a Pentagon spokesman said.

The exercise comes as Russia prepares for its annual Thunder exercise, usually held in late October, in which it tests its nuclear-capable bombers, submarines and missiles.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said NATO would monitor Russia’s annual nuclear exercise very closely, as it has done for decades, and remain vigilant.