France fears Germany could drag Europe into nuclear war over Berlin‘s undefined plans to use long-range missiles in the event of conflict with Russia.
The French are holding talks with German officials to understand how Berlin would use deep precision strikes in order to align strategies should the continent go to war with Moscow, according to six officials cited by the Financial Times.
A source suggested there are fears that attacking Russian targets with conventional weapons could provoke ‘a nuclear response’ from Moscow.
He said: ‘If the Russians don’t get the signal right you could get to the nuclear threshold without realising.’
It comes as European allies, including France, Germany, the UK, Poland and the Nordic and Baltic states, look to bolster their long-range capabilities as the Ukraine war approaches its fifth year.
The continent’s fears of war with Russia also come amid uncertainty over US support after Donald Trump agreed a controversial diesel deal with Vladimir Putin before launching an attack on Volodymyr Zelensky for continuing to attack Russian energy infrastructure.
Germany has led efforts to rearm Europe and is developing ground-launched missiles with a range of up to 2,000km (1,243 miles) – meaning Berlin would be capable of hitting targets deep inside Russia.
But France has now raised questions over how and when these would be used – and the kind of retaliation expected from Moscow, with officials fearing a nuclear response.
A Russian missile is launched during a war games exercise in the Barents Sea
A model of a Predator Hawk tactical ballistic missile is displayed during the Berlin Security Conference (BSC) in Berlin, Germany, November 3
Germany has a defence budget of €780billion (£652billion) over the next five years up to 2030 and the French are keen to align the two countries’ nuclear doctrines.
But French officials fear Russia could hold France responsible for any attacks due to Emmanuel Macron’s policy of ‘forward deterrence’.
In March, Mr Macron said: ‘We must strengthen our nuclear deterrence against the combination of threats, and we must conceive our deterrence strategy within the depth of the European continent and with full respect for our sovereignty, with the progressive implementation of what I will call “forward deterrence”.
‘Yes, we are currently at a geopolitical tipping point fraught with risks. The French people know this, and this period justifies a hardening of our model.
‘Russia is waging a slow and cruel war against neighbouring Ukraine which is, as our national strategic review noted, a major risk for our Europe.
‘The same Russia asserts brutal imperialism and revisionism and, despite already having a vast nuclear arsenal, is constantly developing new weapons.
‘These include hypersonic nuclear missiles, nuclear-powered missiles said to have unlimited range, nuclear torpedoes, and even a project that is particularly dangerous for humanity: nuclear weapons sent into space.’
He added: ‘With forward deterrence, our doctrine will retain its original foundations: its strictly defensive character, the refusal of any nuclear battle, and the total and deliberate distinction between conventional and nuclear realms.’
Helsing’s AD-1 Inferno, a drone missile interceptor, is on display at the defense technology startup Helsing headquarters in Munich, Germany, October 29
A source told the FT that France had established a ‘nuclear grammar and vocabulary’, which he described as ‘unspoken’ rules of engagement.
But, the official said: ‘It would be much better to have a clear and pretty public doctrine so that the Russians never get a signal wrong or misunderstand.’
A senior German source said Berlin ‘could not agree more’ that European allies need ‘a joint doctrine and a joint understanding about the escalation ladder’.
Meanwhile a British official said Germany’s ‘strategic culture’ is ‘evolving quickly’, adding: ‘We should embrace that.’
Britain is also holding talks with Germany over a joint plan in the event of war with Russia as well as developing long-range weapons with a range of up to 2,000km (1,243 miles) (1,243 miles).
Deep precision strikes with these weapons would be used to cripple Moscow’s ‘warfighting potential’ – meaning targeting command centres, logistics sites and ammunition storage facilities.
But Nato is ‘conscious’ of avoiding a nuclear response from Russia, said the British official.
It comes after German General Ingo Gerhartz warned last week that Nato allies must consult on the decision to carry out deep precision strikes as Russia will blame the whole alliance for a single country’s actions.