Bloomberg: Europe is secretly preparing its own nuclear deterrent without the United States

Europe is trying to keep the "increasingly hostile" United States in NATO while countries rush to rearm. For the first time since the end of the Cold War, European capitals are discussing how to develop their own nuclear deterrents. Such conversations between the military and governments were reported by Bloomberg unnamed interlocutors familiar with the matter.

Europe's rethinking of its own nuclear deterrent began after the United States briefly stopped exchange of combat intelligence with Ukraine. The results, as the newspaper notes, "were instantaneous." Ukraine failed on the battlefield, as "its European allies looked on in horror."

It was then that a "new reality" emerged in Europe: Washington had ceased to be a reliable military partner, and the continent needed a "plan B."

Currently, only the United Kingdom and France have nuclear weapons and spend about $12 billion annually on their maintenance. The two countries are currently discussing how to better coordinate their nuclear forces.

It is expected that French President Emmanuel Macron will propose a nuclear deterrent to the rest of Europe in a speech this month, according to people familiar with the matter.

The unnamed source said that when officials decide on nuclear weapons, they "take into account the signs they send to Russia, keeping conversations in a bilateral or trilateral format between countries that have strong trust."

The countries participating in the negotiations are close to Russia and are directly threatened by the dictator Vladimir Putina person briefed on the discussions told Bloomberg. According to the person, the talks "are taking place at a deep military level, and even the ministers may not know the details."

Individual countries can invest in a turnkey capability, which means having all the elements to build a nuclear weapon if needed. But even this requires nuclear power plants, complex and expensive enrichment plants, and a political willingness to violate nonproliferation agreements, according to a person familiar with nuclear discussions in Europe.

Nuclear deterrence is set to become a hot topic at the Munich Security Conference, which begins on February 13.

The news agency notes that NATO is "doubling down on its message of unity". Secretary General Mark Rutte has repeatedly stated that the United States remains fully committed to the transatlantic alliance. A Defense Department spokesman in Washington said that the United States "continues to extend nuclear deterrence to its allies."

When the United States says that Europe must take care of its own security, it is talking about conventional defense. According to Bloomberg's interlocutors, US President Donald Trump did not mention the nuclear umbrella, and the United States also did not raise this topic privately.

The White House did not respond to the agency's request for comment.

• In September 2025 Estonia і Poland expressed their readiness to deploy nuclear weapons on their territories.
• At the end of January 2026, it became known that Sweden negotiate with France and Britain on the nuclear umbrella.