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Media: European countries discuss possibility of building their own nuclear deterrent independent of US

13 February 2026 19:00 (UTC +04:00)

A group of European countries has begun discussing options for building their own nuclear deterrence, as they are not fully confident in U.S. support, APA reports, citing Bloomberg.

According to the report, for the first time since the Cold War, European countries are discussing the possibility of creating their own nuclear deterrence capability independent of the United States to counter threats from Russia, which possesses the world’s largest nuclear arsenal.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said during his speech at the Munich Security Conference that he is holding talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on creating a joint nuclear “umbrella” for European countries.

Merz emphasized that these discussions are not aimed at undermining NATO’s guarantees, but rather demonstrate the intention to strengthen Europe’s defense: “We are not doing this without NATO. We are doing this by creating a strong and self-sufficient European pillar within the Alliance,” the chancellor said.

He also noted that the world is entering a new reality and that Europe must accept and adapt to this situation while continuing to uphold its values.

Note that currently, among European countries, only France and the United Kingdom possess nuclear weapons.