Europe’s Dr Strangeloves are getting excited at the prospect of building an autonomous nuclear umbrella for the Continent. Europe’s nuclear hawks need a reality checkFrance sought yesterday to calm speculation ahead of Emmanuel Macron’s speech next Monday about expanding the country’s nuclear deterrent to the rest of Europe. “One element of our nuclear doctrine that is worth reiterating is our rejection of nuclear war. Talk about an independent European nuclear umbrella has become more heated since last month’s Munich security conference when a number of European leaders suggested that the American guarantee might no longer be enough. The first issue about a European nuclear deterrent is that of who should make the decision to deploy a nuclear weapon, raising questions about European governance – qualified majority voting or unanimity, European Council or Commission – but touches on deeper issues of sovereignty and identity.

Source: The Irish Times February 26, 2026 11:11 UTC