France has warned that NATO allies could inadvertently trigger a nuclear response from Russia, urging Germany to align on long-range missile strategy amid rising hybrid warfare concerns.
One of the UK's key NATO allies has issued a chilling nuclear attack warning as Russia continues to ramp up so-called hybrid warfare in Europe. France is reportedly pressing Germany for transparency over its long-range missile development amid fears a lack of shared strategy could trigger a "nuclear response" in the event of all-out conflict with Moscow.
German defence budget sparks fears
Germany's ambitious defence budget, totalling €780 billion (£650 billion) over the five years to the end of 2030, has sparked fears that an uncoordinated attack could see Russia launch retaliatory strikes on other members of the alliance. Berlin leads a rearmament drive among NATO members in light of Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine and uncertainty over the US's commitment to the continent's security under Donald Trump.
Talks between France and Germany to align the former's nuclear strategy with the latter's development of weapons capable of "deep precision strikes" (DPS) are currently underway, reports suggest.
Officials call for joint doctrine
A French official told the Financial Times: "If the Russians don't get the signal right, you could get to the nuclear threshold without realising." Another added: "There are habits we developed over time [a nuclear grammar and vocabulary]. The Germans do not have it ... 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 German official told the newspaper that Berlin "could not agree more" than European capitals needed "a joint doctrine and a joint understanding about the escalation ladder". "It's not something the French are asking for and we are resisting," they said. "Acquiring these DPS capabilities necessarily had to be accompanied by a joint understanding of how to deploy them. It was clear from the outset."
UK defence warnings
It comes after Defence Secretary Wes Streeting warned that Britain must be ready for war in 1,000 days as Russia ramps up its hybrid warfare against NATO. Putin has been accused of using "sophisticated hybrid strategies" to destabilise Western powers and undermine their support for Ukraine over the four years since the eastern European conflict broke out.
This has included targeting Russian dissidents abroad, pursuing disinformation campaigns, sabotaging critical national infrastructure and sponsoring malicious cyber activities. Last week, the head of the Royal Navy, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, said that Moscow posed "the greatest threat to our security today" and was constantly "probing" the UK for weakness, particularly its vital undersea cables.
