Norway comes under the protection of the French “nuclear umbrella” as part of a new defense agreement with Paris. This was stated on May 27 by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who was quoted by Reuters.
According to the prime minister, he went to Paris for negotiations with French President Emmanuel Macron, where the parties should sign a new bilateral defense agreement. The document provides for Norway's accession to the French nuclear deterrence initiative.
The corresponding decision was made against the backdrop of growing concerns in Europe regarding the reliability of US security guarantees, as well as due to the deteriorating situation in the region.
The head of the Norwegian government emphasized that even if France's nuclear protection is extended to Norway, the deployment of nuclear weapons there in peacetime is not envisaged.
Reuters recalled that Norway remains a member of NATO, but is not a member of the European Union. The country borders on the aggressor country of the Russian Federation in the Arctic.
France previously proposed expanding its “nuclear umbrella” to other European countries, in particular to Poland and Lithuania.
