As Bloomberg writes, the brief suspension of the US transfer of intelligence data to Ukraine in March 2025 became a breakthrough moment for European allies. The effects on the front were immediate, and the question arose in European capitals whether the continent could still fully rely on American security guarantees.
The rest of the article is below the video
Now – in fact, for the first time since the end of the Cold War – the topic is returning to the conversation between politicians and military officials own nuclear deterrent.
Read also: Will Sweden get a nuclear umbrella? Preliminary talks on protection are underway
France with a nuclear offer for Europe
Currently the only European countries with nuclear weapons are Great Britain and France. Paris even left NATO in the past to develop its nuclear capabilities (but then returned to the alliance and remains in it to this day).
Emmanuel Macron plays a key role in the debate and is expected to propose extending the French nuclear umbrella to other allies. Poland is also to be taken into account in this context, as the French media reported a year ago.
This solution would be much faster than construction of their own arsenals by subsequent countries, which would mean huge costs, risk of violating international treaties and the need to accept that a country with nuclear weapons becomes a potential target, as Bloomberg writes.
Poland and the eastern flank in a new reality
For countries such as Poland, the discussion about the future of the nuclear umbrella is of particular importance. For years, Warsaw has been seeking a strong US and NATO presence on its eastern flank, and at the same time it is increasing its own spending on defense and army modernization.
Read also: Andrzej Duda says what he thinks about the French nuclear umbrella
