“In the past when France has made overtures [about extending nuclear protection], other countries were reluctant to respond,” Pierre Haroche of the Catholic University of Lille told the BBC. “They didn’t want to signal that they did not have complete faith in the US and NATO,” he added.
“But Trump has clarified the debate,” Mr Haroche says. “It’s not that the Americans are talking of removing their nuclear deterrent – let’s be clear, that does not seem to be on the table right now,” he added.