The threat of Russia and the words of Donald Trump: the unexpected debate on a Germany with atomic bombs

Should Germany have nuclear weapons? The debate, completely out of place until recently, is starting to grow due to the concomitance of several events: the possibility that Donald Trump returns to the White House after declaring that he will not respect the defense obligations of his allies established by the founding treaty of NATO; Britain’s exit from the European Union leaving France as the sole military power in the bloc; and Russian military aggression and historical revisionism which returns, as it has done several times in recent centuries, to try to grow towards the West.

Defenders of the idea of ​​Germany acquiring nuclear weapons (which would violate international norms and lead to a clash whose consequences would be difficult to predict within the European Union itself and with “legal” nuclear powers) assure that the country and Europe will be at Russia’s mercy if the only nuclear umbrella was the French one.

One of the promoters of the debate for years is Maximilian Terhalle, who considers it necessary It is urgent for Berlin to equip itself with nuclear weapons because with Trump they will not be protected.

The commitment to having an exclusively German nuclear weapon is still a minority one. What is already supported by most political forces is what they call the “European option”. It is not a question of equipping the European Union as such with nuclear weapons, but of “Europeanizing” the force de frappe, the French nuclear weapons, so that they can be the security umbrella of the old continent. It’s possible? Macron encourages this idea.

Years ago the French president said that he would like French nuclear weapons to be a guarantee of security for Europe. In return, he asked other countries it would take care of part of the maintenance, development and production costs.

All 27 would pay but, of course, Paris would have the final say on how, when and against whom the atomic weapons could be used. If years ago the Germans said they were not interested in that agreement, now they don’t seem completely closed off.

The debate also concerns quantities. Between France and the United Kingdom there are about 550 atomic bombs, about half of each country. Russia has, like the United States, about 6,000. A French nuclear force with fewer than 300 nuclear weapons against Russia is a deterrent.

The solution would be another German idea: buy. It would be about Berlin acquires approximately 1,000 nuclear bombs of the approximately 6,000 that Washington has and, in exchange for the approval of its European partners, Berlin should put them at the service of the security of the entire continent.

To have nuclear weapons, Germany would first have to abandon the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The German Defense Minister refuses to enter into the debate. This is assured by Boris Pistorius, who had to speak out to deny the interest of the German executive It’s the “last thing” the country needs.

Pistorius said months ago that his armed forces have until the end of this decade to prepare for what he hopes will be a Russian attack on countries that, under EU and NATO treaties, Germany would be obliged to protect. Other countries, such as Estonia, believe the Russian attack will come sooner, in 2025 or 2026.