France will consider extending the protection of its nuclear arsenal to its allies, French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday, while warning that Europe needs to be ready for the United States to not “remain by our side” in the Ukraine-Russia war.

European leaders showed a cautiously receptive ear to President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to debate extending the French nuclear umbrella to Europe on Thursday, though some were reluctant to draw a line under years of U.

President Emmanuel Macron has said he will launch a strategic dialogue on extending the protection offered by France's nuclear arsenal to its European partners. Europe's primary nuclear deterrence comes from the United States and is a decades-old symbol of trans-Atlantic solidarity.