BERLIN, April 24. /TASS/. Almost half of German citizens are against the idea of the country possessing its own nuclear weapons, and about 60% are against the deployment of US nuclear weapons on the country's territory, according to the results of a poll conducted by the YouGov public opinion research institute.
According to its information, 49% of respondents were against Germany having its own nuclear weapons. Only 34% were in favor.
YouGov also polled residents of the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark and Sweden. The results showed that the idea of a nation possessing its own nuclear weapons is opposed in all countries that are not yet nuclear powers. In Sweden, an absolute majority of 53% oppose it. People in Italy (47%), Spain (45%) and Denmark (39%) are also against having their own nuclear weapons.
In the UK and France, however, more than half the population supports the idea: 55% and 64% respectively. In addition, Europeans polled generally oppose the deployment of US nuclear weapons in their countries, including Germany and Italy, where US nuclear weapons have been deployed for decades as part of NATO's nuclear sharing program. In Germany, 59% disapprove of the deployment of US nuclear weapons, while in Italy the figure is 63%. In Spain, three out of four respondents oppose the hypothetical deployment of US nuclear weapons. In Sweden, a vocal advocate of nuclear disarmament, people are particularly opposed to this, as 73% of people said no thanks.
Earlier, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz, who is set to take the reins of Germany's new government in May, ruled out the option of Germany having its own nuclear weapons, but said he intends to discuss with France and the UK the issue of defending Europe using their nuclear deterrent capabilities.
On March 5, French President Emmanuel Macron said in a public address that he would start talks with allies on the possibility of bringing European countries under the protection of France's nuclear deterrent forces. He called Russia a threat to his country and the EU as a whole, citing this as justification for the increase in military spending and the proliferation of French nuclear weapons in the EU.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, responding to a question from TASS on March 6, called Macron's rhetoric very confrontational and noted that the French leader's statements give the impression that Paris is eager to continue the war.