PARIS, August 29. /TASS/. Negotiations on Berlin's participation in the French nuclear deterrent forces will take several years, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told French television channel LCI in an interview.
"We have received an offer from France to discuss our participation in the nuclear deterrent force," he said. "We have been asked to start negotiations to resolve the main issues."
He said he did not reject the proposal.
"But this is a very difficult question. Negotiations on this topic will last for years," Merz said.
The chancellor added that he did not want to "make his country dependent. But we must discuss nuclear deterrence in a broad sense with France and the UK."
In March, French President Emmanuel Macron, in an address to the nation, said he would begin discussions with allies about taking European countries under the protection of the French nuclear deterrent forces. Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Denmark have already made it clear that they are open to discussion. The Financial Times said that US allies in Europe and Asia are exploring the creation their own nuclear shield because of the course of the American administration to restore relations with Russia.