The aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle docked in the port of Malmö, Sweden, on February 25, 2026. JOHAN NILSSON/TT/VIA REUTERS French President Emmanuel Macron is set to deliver a highly solemn speech on Monday, March 2, against the backdrop of one of France’s four ballistic missile submarines, docked at the Ile Longue in Brest harbor, Brittany. At this location rarely open to the public, Macron is expected to breach the topic of nuclear deterrence in a speech that takes place only once per presidential term, where every word carries significant weight due to the topic’s sensitive nature. Macron’s last address on the subject, in 2020, drew little attention outside military circles, but this speech will be closely watched across Europe. On the one hand, this heightened interest stems from Russia’s repeated nuclear arms threats since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. On the other hand, it is tied to increasingly serious doubts – about the reliability of the United States as a security partner since Donald Trump’s return to the White House in …