Archive: https://archive.is/2025.03.18-050128/https://www.ft.com/content/7fed8f2b-98c7-43c6-88b3-d66be449bfac
Macron has repeatedly stressed that a French president would always have ultimate power to decide whether to use the bomb — the same applies to Britain and the US within Nato.
Together, British and French nuclear capabilities would at least make Moscow think twice about attacking, said a senior western official.
However, “what really influences Russian decision-making is the scale of US deterrence”, he said. Europe would need at least a decade of spending at around 6-7 per cent of GDP if it wanted to emulate that and acquire another 1,000 warheads, he added.
they always had these available
Didn’t they phase them out in the late 90’s? I’m talking battlefield nukes, low yield to take out an airfield or industrial complex.
No https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air-sol_moyenne_portée
The TN 81 has a minimum yield of 100 kilotons, the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was 15 kilotons. Battlefield nukes are much smaller yield. Putin has them in Belarus.
https://tass.com/russia/1594483
Russia claims to, at least
Nuke can be tactical or strategic regardless of yield. Suitcase nuke in capital of most probable adversary is strategic, 5Mt Spartan ABM is tactical. Here it comes down to it being a clearly announced capability that is hard to mistake for anything else and is one step before SLBMs
it might also have lower minimum yield