Merz ruled out the possibility of Germany developing its own nuclear weapons

On February 18, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ruled out the possibility of developing German nuclear weapons, but called on European colleagues to discuss the deployment of French or British nuclear forces on German territory.

"We have signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. I do not know if it is possible to get out of it. I guess not, at least not so fast. And that's not an option for me. I don't want Germany to think about its own nuclear weapons," Merz said on the Machtwechsel podcast posted on YouTube.

The Chancellor reaffirmed Berlin's commitment to the commitments made when signing the Final Settlement Agreement with Germany in 1990, which included the country's renunciation of nuclear weapons. At the same time, he noted that he became the first German leader to agree to discuss Paris' proposal to "take his country under the French nuclear umbrella."

"Discussing with France, possibly with the United Kingdom, whether we can strengthen the European part of NATO so that what we call the American nuclear umbrella is complemented by the British, French and Germans, including to protect the territorial integrity of Germany, in my opinion, is an urgent need," he said. The flicker.

Calling for discussions, the German leader also mentioned the "mountain of unresolved issues" that complicate the use of European countries' nuclear weapons by the Bundeswehr in terms of technical equipment and international law.

Meet the weapons: The EU has begun discussing the creation of nuclear forces

The formation of a European "atomic shield" could disrupt the global disarmament dialogue.

The Reuters news agency reported on February 13 that Merz is in talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on the creation of a joint European nuclear umbrella. The German Chancellor also called on his European colleagues to restore relations with the United States.

The Stern newspaper reported on January 29 that Germany had once again called for the creation of nuclear weapons of its own production. The authors of the article note that the approach to collective security between the United States and Europe has changed with the return of American leader Donald Trump to the presidency.

On February 2, Armando Mema, a member of the Finnish Freedom Alliance party, noted that Russia's position could change dramatically if the EU countries continue to plan the creation of nuclear weapons. The politician stressed that the Russian Federation has no plans to invade Germany or Finland.

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