Agency Report –
Opponents of nuclear weapons are warning against a potential expansion of France and Britain’s nuclear deterrence to include European partners.
“We share the understanding that nuclear deterrence can never be a responsible or sustainable security strategy,” said a joint statement by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the medical peace organization IPPNW, and other initiatives.
“Normalising nuclear weapons and weakening the international security architecture is a step in the wrong direction, especially today when the risk of nuclear war is higher than ever,” says the statement seen by dpa.
The organizations called on states to strengthen, not weaken, the international framework against nuclear weapons.
French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly floated the idea of placing European allies under the protection of French nuclear weapons.
The debate is taking place as NATO’s European allies have started questioning whether the US nuclear arsenal continues to provide reliable deterrence under President Donald Trump.
This week, Germany declined to participate in a UN conference in New York aimed at reviewing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
“The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons dates back to a time before Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The treaty’s intention and ambition no longer reflect the current security policy reality,” the German Foreign Office told dpa.
