European countries are beginning to discuss ideas for a shared nuclear umbrella in addition to existing security arrangements with the United States, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said today, quoted by Reuters, BTA reported.
The agency notes that Merz made the statement amid heightened tensions on both sides of the Atlantic, which have arisen after US President Donald Trump has shaken traditional alliances.
The German chancellor indicated that the talks are at a very early stage and no decision is expected soon.
"We know that we have to make a number of strategic and military-political decisions, but the time is not ripe," Merz told journalists.
Germany is currently prohibited from developing its own nuclear weapons under the so-called "Two plus Four" agreement, which paved the way for the country's reunification in 1990. Germany is also a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Merz said that Germany's treaty commitments do not prevent it from discussing joint solutions with partners, including Britain and France - the only European countries with nuclear arsenals.
"Such talks are taking place," Merz also said. According to him, these consultations do not contradict cooperation with the United States in the nuclear sphere.
Merz's position was also supported by the chairman of the Bundestag Defense Committee, Thomas Rövekamp. He said that Germany has the technical capacity that could be used in the development of a European nuclear weapon.
"We do not have missiles or warheads, but we have a significant technological advantage with which we can contribute to a joint European initiative," Christian Democrat Rövekamp said on German television "Welt".