President Emmanuel Macron has been accused of undermining French sovereignty and military deterrence after the head of state “opened the debate” about creating a common European defence armed with nuclear weapons.

In an interview published on Saturday evening with the Ebra group of regional French newspapers, Mr Macron said per Le Figaro: “I am in favour of opening this debate which must include anti-missile defence, the firing of long-range weapons, nuclear weapons for those who have them or who have American nuclear weapons on their soil.”