Britain and France will create the possibility of using their independent nuclear deterrents in a coordinated manner if necessary, according to the U.K.’s Ministry of Defense, ahead of President Macron’s meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday.

French President Emmanuel Macron is in London on an official state visit, as a guest of King Charles III, writes Magyar Nemzet. 

Macron and Starmer will sign an agreement today to begin closer cooperation than ever before in the field of nuclear deterrence.

According to the ministry, the new declaration states for the first time that although the nuclear deterrents of Great Britain and France remain independent of each other, their application can be coordinated by the British and French governments.

This means that the nuclear forces of both countries could be deployed against any enemy that threatened the vital interests of either Britain or France.

The British Ministry of Defense’s statement on Thursday stated that only Britain and France have nuclear weapons in Europe, contributing significantly to the overall security of NATO and the Euro-Atlantic area.

The independent British strategic nuclear strike force is currently carried by four Vanguard-class submarines. These submarines can each be equipped with 16 Trident missiles, and each of the missiles can be equipped with eight nuclear warheads. 

At the same time, the British government announced the other day that it would purchase F-35A fighter jets, which can also carry nuclear weapons. The U.K. plans to acquire at least 12 of these aircraft.