The United States is considering deploying additional nuclear forces in Europe to reassure NATO partners over the withdrawal of American troops from the continent, writes FT. If the plans are implemented, the American nuclear umbrella over Europe will cover other countries, in addition to the six that currently have bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, writes the newspaper, quoted by Focus.
The talks were held in deep secrecy, but come against the backdrop of EU concerns about Donald Trump's actions to withdraw military contingents and critical armaments from the continent. Eastern NATO members, located close to Russia, as well as some Baltic states, have shown the strongest interest in the idea of deploying nuclear weapons.
Poland has been among the most vocal in seeking to deploy dual-purpose aircraft – for both conventional and nuclear weapons. A request for this was made by former Polish President Andrzej Duda. In addition, this year Warsaw decided to join a French initiative aimed at exploring the possibility of temporarily transferring part of Paris’s nuclear potential to allied European countries.
Currently, within the framework of the nuclear agreement with the US, specialized aircraft are deployed in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey and the UK. They perform mainly a deterrent function, and the final decision on the use of weapons lies with Washington. If the initiative is expanded, the use of weapons will operate on the same principle, the FT notes.