French President Emmanuel Macron has declared his nation ‘ready’ to use nuclear weapons in an uncharacteristically brash retort to Vladimir Putin following the latest bout of nuclear sabre-rattling from the Kremlin chief. 

Macron chastised Putin for threatening the use of nuclear devices and reminded him France also has an advanced weapons programme in interviews with French media yesterday. 

It comes after the Russian President earlier this week told state TV ‘weapons exist in order to use them‘ in reference to the possibility of deploying nukes should Western troops be deployed in Ukraine.

‘We must first and foremost feel protected because we are a nuclear power. We are ready; we have a doctrine (for the use of nuclear weapons),’ Macron told reporters, saying the Kremlin’s willingness to issue nuclear threats was inappropriate.

Having nuclear weapons ‘imposes on us the responsibility never to escalate,’ Macron said, in a dig at the constant reminders issued by top Russian officials and media personalities of their nuclear arsenal.

His statements come amid a hardening of Paris’ stance towards Moscow after Macron abandoned his longstanding efforts to maintain a closer bond with Putin.

Britain and France are Europe’s only nuclear powers, but even their collective power is a fraction of that employed by Russia, which has the world’s largest and most varied collection of nuclear weapons by some margin – even larger than that in Washington’s vast stockpiles.

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