The Western defense alliance NATO plans to expand its nuclear deterrent in Europe amid continued threats from Russia under President Vladimir Putin, DPA reported, citing its own sources, BTA reported.
This includes discussing whether to deploy additional US nuclear weapons in Europe. According to experts, the United States may have already transferred B61-12 bombs to the British air base Lakenheath. If the security situation worsens further, NATO countries located closer to Russia, including Poland, Finland and Lithuania, could be considered as possible additional deployment sites.
The plans mainly concern so-called non-strategic nuclear weapons. Such bombs are intended for use against enemy troops, airports, ports, command centers and other military infrastructure.
Compared to strategic nuclear weapons, they often have a lower yield and are usually delivered by fighter jets, shorter-range missiles and cruise missiles.
Approximately 100 B61-12 bombs remain in storage at six air bases in Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey after the large-scale nuclear disarmament after the end of the Cold War, according to estimates by nuclear weapons experts.
In an interview with DPA, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte did not rule out the possibility of more US nuclear weapons being deployed in Europe in the future. He declined to comment on details of the ongoing reviews and consultations due to confidentiality.
Rutte said in an interview in mid-July that NATO is constantly assessing what capabilities are needed and what the alliance's "recipe for nuclear deterrence" should be, the agency recalls.