New Delhi, March 5 -- France is moving to align its nuclear deterrent strategy more closely with European allies while keeping full control over any strike decision - an unprecedented coordination that French President Emmanuel Macron described as crucial to bolstering the continent's strategic autonomy.

Experts say the plan reflects growing doubts across Europe about U.S. reliability when it comes to the continent's defense. France has been the only nuclear power in the European Union since Britain's exit from the bloc in 2020.

Macron's move reflects that, in case of a nuclear crisis, France would be the one offering "some form of a nuclear security guarantee," said Florian Galleri, a nuclear deterrence expert at the Massachusetts Inst...