Overview
- European People’s Party chief Manfred Weber urged EU leaders to start concrete discussions on using France’s arsenal as the basis for a European deterrent.
- Munich Security Conference chair Wolfgang Ischinger urged Germany to act as a "bridge" to Washington to prevent US misinterpretation of European nuclear planning.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he accepted France’s offer to talk after taking office, while ruling out a German nuclear weapon under the Two‑plus‑Four treaty and the Non‑Proliferation Treaty.
- NATO’s deterrence remains centered on US forces, with about 100 US nuclear bombs believed to be in Europe and a far larger US stockpile than France’s, according to SIPRI.
- France maintains that any use of its nuclear forces must stay under French command, and experts say an EU‑wide shield would demand major investment and a workable command structure.