Macron says France will let temporary deployment of nuclear-armed aircraft to allies

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that his country will allow nuclear-armed aircraft to be temporarily deployed to allies.

Macron said that this would “provide for the temporary deployment of elements of our strategic air forces to allied countries,” adding that no nation besides France will be able to decide the use of nuclear weapons, The according to the Associated Press.

Talks regarding the arrangements have already begun with the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden, and Denmark, Macron said during a speech at a military base at L’Ile Longue, which hosts France's ballistic missile submarines.

He also said France will increase its number of nuclear warheads from the current level of below 300, which would be the first such increase since at least 1992, but did not give a figure for how many.

“I have decided to increase the numbers of warheads of our arsenal,” Macron said. “My responsibility is to ensure that our deterrence maintains – and will maintain in the future – its assured destructive power.”

France is the only nuclear power in the European Union, since the U.K., which is the only other European country with a nuclear deterrent, is no longer an EU member.

“If we had to use our arsenal, no state, however powerful, could shield itself from it, and no state, however vast, would recover from it,” Macron said.