Overview
- At the Munich Security Conference, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he has launched talks with President Emmanuel Macron on a joint European nuclear deterrent.
- Merz stressed the initiative does not write off NATO, describing it as a step toward a self‑supporting European pillar within the alliance.
- He called for repairing ties with the United States as discussions on European nuclear protection proceed.
- Macron first invited allies in March 2025 to explore extending France’s nuclear deterrent, and Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Denmark have been reported as open to talks.
- Financial Times reporting links renewed interest in a European shield to changes in Washington’s approach to Russia, and Macron in Munich urged rethinking Europe’s security architecture with France’s deterrent in mind.