France and Poland Deepen Defense Pact as Europe Prepares for Strategic Uncertainty
France and Poland are set to sign a new bilateral defense treaty, marking a significant expansion of military and strategic ties between the two countries amid growing European anxieties over Vladimir Putin’s aggression and Donald Trump’s unpredictability, The Gaze reports, citing Financial Times.
The updated agreement will modernize a 1991 treaty signed after Poland’s exit from communist rule and before it joined NATO or the EU. The new pact reflects Europe’s shifting security priorities in light of the war in Ukraine and questions about the long-term reliability of U.S. security guarantees.
“The aim is to deepen and make operational the key elements of the Franco-Polish relationship, including evaluating threats, shared defence projects, and the extension of the conversation about strategic issues, including nuclear deterrence,” said a French official.
The treaty will put Poland on par with Germany, Italy, and Spain—France’s core EU defense partners—and aligns Warsaw more closely with Paris’ vision for a strategically autonomous Europe. It comes shortly after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk openly floated the idea of Poland being included under France’s nuclear umbrella, and even suggested the country might develop its own nuclear weapons to deter Russia.
While no breakthroughs on nuclear deterrence are expected during the meeting in Nancy, the French official acknowledged the evolving discussion, saying: “While France’s nuclear doctrine will not change, ways may be found within it to address the needs of EU allies such as Poland.”
France, which has long maintained that the use of its nuclear arsenal would reflect “vital interests” with a “European dimension,” has deliberately left this vague to preserve strategic ambiguity.
The treaty is also expected to increase French arms exports to Poland. Poland’s defense contracts have recently favored U.S. and South Korean suppliers, but French companies like Airbus are actively competing to win deals on helicopters, transport aircraft, and submarines.
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