NEW YORK, January 22. /TASS/. European countries, confronted with political tensions with the United States, are looking at ways to boost their nuclear stockpile and even develop their own nuclear weapons, the NBC News network reported, citing officials.
The officials say European nations are exploring how to strengthen their nuclear defenses because they are beginning to doubt the US's promise to protect them from a nuclear threat. Meanwhile, European countries without nuclear weapons of their own are deciding whether to rely on the stockpiles of Britain and France or to start building their own.
"We are talking about how to protect Europe with a nuclear deterrent, independent of the United States," an official said. Another source described the discussions as "intense and productive."
The officials pointed out that Europe is considering several options: upgrading France's arsenal, deploying its nuclear bombers abroad, and strengthening NATO's conventional forces in the east. Some proposals involve providing non-nuclear states with the means to acquire such weapons. The NBC News network notes this would not violate the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, unlike steps like weapons-grade uranium enrichment.