France shares intel with Ukraine as Macron floats nuclear umbrella
By Rudy Ruitenberg
Thursday, Mar 6, 2025
PARIS — France’s defense minister said the country is sharing intelligence resources with Ukraine, after President Emmanuel Macron floated the idea of expanding the French nuclear deterrent to protect European allies.
The moves here follow doubts about whether Europe can still count on the United States to help defend against Russian aggression.
The U.S. stopped sharing intel including satellite observations with Ukraine on Wednesday afternoon, which will have a major operational effect, Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu told France Inter radio on Thursday. Whether European intelligence can replace American intel “is an excellent question,” Lecornu said.
France’s intelligence assets are sovereign, “It has taken longer to build up our strength in recent years, but the advantage is that we have done so effectively with our own capabilities,” Lecornu said. “So yes, we have intelligence resources, we are letting the Ukrainians benefit from them.”
https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2025/03/06/france-shares-intel-with-ukraine-as-macron-floats-nuclear-umbrella/