Europe is seriously reviewing Russia's nuclear deterrent and is seeking to create its own nuclear umbrella amid deteriorating relations with the US. Bloomberg reports this.
According to the publication, concerns arose in Europe about the “nuclear umbrella” when in March 2025, the United States briefly stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, leading to problems for the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the battlefield. After that, it became clear that Washington was no longer a “reliable partner” and that the continent needed a Plan B to deter Russia from nuclear weapons, Bloomberg wrote.
“For the first time since the end of the Cold War, European countries are discussing how to develop their own nuclear deterrent,” the publication noted.
Stoltenberg supports negotiations with Russia on nuclear arms control
The publication points out that two countries currently have nuclear weapons in Europe, namely Britain and France. And while the UK is “heavily dependent” on weapons supplies from the US, France can produce its own warheads, Bloomberg notes.
The publication also pointed out that France intends to cooperate with Germany on the issue of nuclear deterrence, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced at the Munich Security Conference on February 13 that he had begun negotiations with French President Emmanuel Macron on “European nuclear deterrence.”
In February, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced the need to start a discussion on Europe's nuclear deterrent. On January 29, Friedrich Merz reported that negotiations on creating a pan-European nuclear deterrent were in the early stages. According to him, this requires making some important decisions.
Also on January 26, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte admitted that the EU cannot defend itself without the US nuclear umbrella.
At the same time, the Berliner Zeitung newspaper wrote that it is unrealistic for Europe to jointly create nuclear weapons in the near future.
Previously, Mr. Lavrov announced that there was a threat of nuclear weapons proliferation.
