The United States is holding confidential talks with NATO allies about deploying nuclear weapons in additional European countries beyond the 6 current host states, the Financial Times reported on 2 June, citing 3 people briefed on the discussions.
US officials have signaled openness to expanding the dual-capable aircraft program, which allows allied air groups to fly American F-35, F-15, and Tornado jets configured to deliver US nuclear bombs under Washington's sole authorization. The expansion is intended to demonstrate continued US commitment to the nuclear umbrella as NATO members are pushed to take on more of the conventional defense burden, 2 sources told the FT.
Eastern flank pushes for hosting rights
Countries on NATO's eastern flank, including Poland and some Baltic states, have shown the strongest interest in hosting dual-capable aircraft bases, the sources said. Allies closest to Russia's borders have been the most active in pursuing the arrangement, one person familiar with the talks told the newspaper.
Polish officials have publicly campaigned for nuclear deployments on their soil. Former president Andrzej Duda called for Washington to extend the dual-capable aircraft initiative to Poland, while Warsaw earlier this year joined a French-led effort to explore temporarily relocating parts of Europe's nuclear deterrent to allied countries.
One person familiar with the discussions cautioned that an agreement to expand US nuclear hosting was not imminent and that the talks may not produce any formal changes.
Existing nuclear-sharing arrangement
NATO's nuclear-sharing program currently covers Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom, where US bombs are stored and guarded by American troops. Washington retains sole authority over their use, while allied pilots train to deliver the weapons when authorized.
The arrangement, devised during the Cold War, allows non-nuclear NATO members to participate in alliance nuclear policy without acquiring their own weapons.
Trump's withdrawals fuel European anxiety
The talks are unfolding against a backdrop of acute European concern over Donald Trump's decisions to cancel planned weapons deployments and withdraw American troops from the continent as part of a strategic pivot toward Asia. Allied capitals fear the moves will leave gaps in Europe's ability to deter or repel Russian aggression.
Russia's war on Ukraine and repeated nuclear threats by Vladimir Putin have sharpened allied interest in hosting US weapons, sources told the FT.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said last month that despite Washington's shift toward other regions, "the overall deterrence and defence in Europe has to stay the same," warning that any attack on the alliance would meet a "devastating" response.
European nuclear options under discussion
Bloomberg reported in February that European governments were openly debating independent nuclear deterrence options for the first time since the Cold War. French President Emmanuel Macron has floated extending France's nuclear umbrella to other European states, an idea Belgium, Poland, Latvia, and Estonia have publicly backed, according to Politico.
At the Munich Security Conference, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed European talks on nuclear deterrence but said Berlin remained committed to NATO's joint nuclear framework and opposed creating uneven security zones across the continent.
France and the United Kingdom are the only European nuclear powers, holding roughly 400 warheads between them, compared with 1,670 in the US arsenal. The British deterrent depends on American supply chains, while France produces its own warheads.
