‘Reliant’ Europe turns to UK to bolster nuclear arms amid Trump fears | UK | News

Following President Donald Trump’s increasingly unpredictable threats towards NATO allies and his promotion of openly expansionist policies, European leaders are exploring options to obtain their own nuclear capabilities to defend against Russia without depending on the United States.

In conversations with NBC News, multiple senior European officials revealed that discussions have begun regarding whether to look towards France and Britain rather than the US, or potentially develop their own nuclear arsenals. “We are discussing how to protect Europe with a nuclear deterrent with or without the United States,” one official stated to NBC.

Another described the discussions as “intense and productive.”

This development emerges as Trump has demonstrated growing hostility and unpredictability towards Europe, whilst Russia‘s Vladimir Putin continues to test NATO boundaries. It also mirrors a comparable pivot away from US dependence by Canada, which has recently reportedly approached China as a potentially more reliable and stable partner internationally.

This week, hundreds of global leaders and business figures convened in Davos, the Swiss resort town, for the annual World Economic Forum to address urgent international matters. Trump attended on Wednesday, delivering an address to world leaders whilst maintaining ongoing threats to seize Greenland, a Danish territory and NATO member.

Trump revealed on Wednesday that he was scrapping his proposed tariff on American allies in Europe regarding US control of Greenland, following an agreement with NATO’s leader on a “framework of a future deal” concerning Arctic security. Just hours before, Trump had maintained that he wanted to “get Greenland, including right, title and ownership,” though he ruled out using military force whilst criticising European partners and insisting NATO should not attempt to prevent American expansion.

French President Emmanuel Macron is anticipated to deliver an address on France’s nuclear strategy in the coming weeks, officials informed NBC. France remains the sole European Union nation possessing nuclear weapons, with France and the United Kingdom being NATO’s only nuclear-capable members outside the US.

France maintains roughly 290 nuclear warheads, whilst the UK holds an estimated 225. The US possesses approximately 3,700 warheads.

“We’ve had this system of extended deterrence and the U.S. promise to allies that if they’re attacked with a nuclear weapon, the United States would respond,” Emma Belcher, an arms control specialist and president of Ploughshares, told NBC. “That has really kept nuclear weapons from spreading for decades. But the challenge right now is that it only works if allies believe that the U.S. commitment is real.”

European officials revealed they could pursue several strategies to strengthen their nuclear defence capabilities independently of American support.

These include enhancing France’s nuclear arsenal, repositioning its bombers beyond French borders, and reinforcing NATO’s eastern frontier, according to NBC.

Some officials have suggested that these discussions serve more as a negotiating strategy than a genuine plan. Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen maintained that NATO possesses the capability to address nuclear deterrence concerns on its own.

“We are, for the time being, very reliant on the United States. And I would say it is also in the U.S. interest to have that umbrella in place and also to engage strongly within NATO,” Valtonen told NBC. “Of course, we are open to any questions or any ideas, and especially solutions, what comes to nuclear deterrence in the future.

“I see [the discussions] more as a call for help,” added Heloise Fayet, a research fellow at the French Institute of International Relations, NBC reported. “They’re saying, ‘Hey, help us, or we will do something crazy.'”

European leaders’ attempts to shield themselves from nuclear-armed Russia coincide with Trump extending an invitation to Putin to join his Board of Peace, seemingly a pseudo-substitute for NATO that Trump claims will cost nations $1 billion to participate. Putin expressed gratitude for the invitation and indicated Russia’s Foreign Ministry would examine the proposal whilst consulting with “strategic partners,” AP reported.

He also highlighted his nation’s unique bond with the Palestinian people and proposed allocating $1 billion to the Board of Peace from frozen Russian assets, according to The Associated Press. Trump has justified inviting Russia to the board by stating he desires all countries to participate, particularly those with influential leaders.

During a remarkable address at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, the president claimed he was requesting territory that was “cold and poorly located.”

He argued the U.S. had essentially rescued Europe during World War II and even proclaimed regarding NATO: “It’s a very small ask compared to what we have given them for many, many decades.

“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be frankly unstoppable. But I won’t do that, OK?” Trump declared, subsequently adding, “I don’t have to” and “I don’t want to use force.”