Tensions Rise: Poland and Germany Seek Nuclear Weapons as American Defense Becomes Uncertain
Incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish President Andrzej Duda signify inclination towards obtaining nuclear weapons as a deterrence strategy (Flickr)
Polish President Andrzej Duda requested that the United States deploy nuclear weapons in Poland as a deterrent against increasing fears of Russian aggression on March 3. President Duda’s request follows statements from incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on March 9, who proposed that France and Britain share their nuclear weapons with Germany to strengthen the United States' existing nuclear umbrella.
The dramatic actions of Germany and Poland came after European allies were confronted with the possibility of the United States disengaging from European defense and increasingly hostile relations with the Trump administration. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has additionally announced measures to train every man in Poland and raise a 500,000-man army to deter Russian aggression.
On the other hand, French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron addressed the increasing hostilities from Washington by engaging in the debate of whether France should allow European allies to deploy nuclear weapons. Macron seeks a means of deterrence and to pave the way for French leadership in NATO following the potential withdrawal of strong U.S. military support.
Like Tusk, Merz proposed the question of nuclear defense cooperation between European allies to Paris and London following the Trump administration's increasing aversion to supporting Ukraine and inclination toward Russian interests. However, Merz explicitly stated the importance of Europe’s independence from the United States, rather than merely boosting domestic defense alongside American securities. Following the strenuous 2025 Munich Security Conference, where U.S. Vice President JD Vance bashed Europe for its reliance on the United States for defense, Merz has spoken out in favor of full separation. Merz stated that it is essential to “strengthen Europe as quickly as possible, so that we achieve independence from the U.S.”
Polish President Andrzej Duda’s call for Trump to move nuclear weapons from Western Europe to Poland, while having broadly different intentions than Merz, shows the increasing need for defense strength in Europe.
Merz’s proposal, along with the German people's growing desire for nuclear weapons as a deterrent deterrence following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, highlights a growing change in Germany’s opinion regarding nuclear issues. In previous administrations, former Chancellor Angela Merkel and soon-to-be former Chancellor Olaf Scholz had ignored calls for collective European nuclear defense cooperation. However, Merz has taken a hard stance in the opposite direction, with his potential governing coalition indicating a massive growth in the investment in domestic defense spending.
Critics of the proposed strategy point out the unrealistic and inefficient capacity of nuclear deterrence to quell Russian aggression. While Europe may not have the funds to carry out this plan, a massive gap exists in the number of nuclear warheads possessed by European allies and Russia. Additionally, it is unlikely that the United Kingdom and France will give up their arsenals to the rest of Europe, and there is a high probability of nuclear fragmentation within the alliance. Instead, some have argued that it would be in the interest of Europe to seek nuclear proliferation, in the hopes that it may claim a better position of leadership in nuclear arms dialogue, in addition to rebuilding disarmament agreements that have faltered since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.