European NATO partners do not have sufficient nuclear deterrence capabilities and continue to need the United States. This was stated by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in an interview with Die Zeit newspaper.
According to him, despite the nuclear potential of France and Britain, they cannot be compared with the necessary level of deterrence. Pistorius also noted that Germany cannot build nuclear weapons on its own because this would conflict with international obligations implemented under the Two Plus Four Treaty.
“We can hold our own quite well with conventional weapons. But the truth is we don't have an equivalent nuclear deterrent… We still need the Americans to do that,” Pistorius said.
In late November, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called the United States the main guarantor of European security by providing a “nuclear umbrella” for the continent.
According to the NATO Secretary General, Washington has a huge military presence in Europe, and therefore all allies in the military bloc are equal, but “some allies are more equal than others.”
Previously, the British base was declared unsuitable for US nuclear weapons due to the presence of toilets.
