Germany can co-finance European nuclear deterrence
By: Karl-Heinz Kamp for Defense News
With Donald Trump’s open support for Russia and his turning away from Europe and NATO, the question of the credibility of the American nuclear promise has taken center stage.
Unlike during Trump’s first term in office, however, this time Europe has recognized the dramatic nature of the situation and developed ideas to strengthen the British and French nuclear deterrent. Both European nuclear powers want to intensify their nuclear consultations and, in addition, French President Emmanuelle Macron has once again called for a dialogue between nuclear and non-nuclear states in Europe. Germany is open to such a dialogue. The German British Defence Agreement (Trinity House), concluded in autumn 2024, already explicitly provides for an exchange on nuclear issues.
Friedrich Merz, Germany’s designated chancellor, also spoke out in favor of the nuclear dialogue proposed by Macron at an early stage. The idea of such talks is to send a signal of commitment and determination not only to Moscow, but also to Washington. This is not (yet) about replacing the American “extended deterrent” with a European version as it is far from certain that Washington will close the nuclear umbrella over Europe, especially as the damage to the USA itself would be considerable.
