NATO's nuclear umbrella remains essential: German defense minister

BERLIN

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Wednesday dismissed discussions about a European nuclear deterrent, insisting that NATO’s nuclear umbrella remains essential.

"We are still an alliance, and I am not prepared to bury the alliance before it has died," Pistorius told reporters. "And I don't see any danger of that happening at the moment," he added.

Pistorius said the new US National Defense Strategy reaffirms America’s commitment to nuclear deterrence for Europe despite President Donald Trump’s criticism of European allies.

"One can speculate about anything, but to believe that we would be in a position to replace the US nuclear umbrella now, in five or even 10 years, is wishful thinking," Pistorius said, warning that this could also send the wrong signal in all directions.

“Our approach must be to keep the Americans in NATO. The alliance must become more European so that it can remain transatlantic, which means Europeans must take on much more responsibility," he added.

In recent months, several senior European politicians have questioned whether the US nuclear guarantee can still be taken for granted because of Trump’s unpredictable stance. They have urged the European Union to develop its own nuclear deterrence capabilities.