France is ready to use its nuclear deterrent to help protect Europe, British daily The Telegraph wrote yesterday. Fighter jets carrying nuclear weapons could potentially be deployed to Germany as the U.S. threatens to withdraw its forces from the continent.
According to The Telegraph report, Friedrich Merz, expected to be the next German chancellor after winning his country’s elections on Sunday, Feb. 23, has called on Britain and France to extend their nuclear protection as he seeks “independence” for Europe from Donald Trump’s America.
A French official told The Telegraph that deploying fighter jets would send a message to Vladimir Putin, while diplomats in Berlin suggested it would pressure Sir Keir Starmer to do the same. “Posting a few French nuclear jet fighters in Germany should not be difficult and would send a strong message,” the source said.