As Reuters reports, Airbus CEO René Obermann (Germany) has called on European countries to acquire tactical nuclear weapons to counter the threat posed by Russian Iskander missiles stationed in Kaliningrad, which can be equipped with nuclear warheads. “Our Achilles heel seems to be what Russia is threatening us with quite publicly: More than 500 tactical nuclear warheads on Iskander-26 missiles stationed right on our doorstep in Kaliningrad, in addition to the newly stationed ones in Belarus,” Obermann said on Nov. 19, at the Berlin Security Conference.
“Germany, France, the U.K., and other willing European member states should agree on a joint and phased nuclear deterrence program that explicitly includes the tactical level. I think that would be a strong deterrent signal.” Obermann’s madman posture is not new: Interviewed by German business daily Handelsblatt in March, Obermann called on Germany to acquire tactical nuclear weapons in cooperation with France and other partners. In the same interview, he claimed that Russia was planning to attack before 2029.
Commenting on Obermann’s Berlin remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to a question from TASS, saying: “It is obvious that more and more Europeans are losing restraint and deliberation in their approaches. Unfortunately, some of them are making such provocative statements, essentially calling for additional steps to escalate tensions. We take it negatively.”
