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Faced with the possible return of Donald Trump to the White House, the head of the EU's largest political grouping is calling on Europeans to prepare for war without the support of the United States and build their own nuclear umbrella.
Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People's Party (EPP), described Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin as "the ones who will set the framework" for 2024.
Trump's seemingly imminent coronation as the Republican presidential nominee, after victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, has alarmed Europe, where he is remembered as a NATO skeptic, accusing EU countries of not paying for their defense. writes Politico.
"We love NATO, but we also need to be strong enough to be able to defend ourselves without it, or when Trump comes back," Weber said in a phone interview with Politico.
"No matter who is elected in America, Europe must be able to stand on its own in terms of foreign policy and be able to defend itself independently," the influential German conservative said.
The German politician said that a worrying issue is the European nuclear defense. NATO currently relies heavily on US nuclear warheads, which are stationed at six military air bases in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.
"We have to be able to block and defend," he said. "We all know that when it comes to advancing, the nuclear option is really crucial."
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin has significantly increased his nuclear rhetoric and regularly makes nuclear threats to the West.
Within the EU, the only country that would be able to play a bigger role is France, which has around 300 nuclear warheads.
According to Weber, now is the time to bring back the idea of the European dimension of nuclear defense.
"I would like to see the European dimension of nuclear defense as a long-term goal," said the head of the EPP. "But as long as this is not realistic, we must accept Macron's offer and think now about how France's nuclear armament can be done. to be included in the European structures" - he said.
The other European nuclear power – but outside the EU – is Britain, with around 260 nuclear warheads.
"Perhaps, just to make the options clear, we are now at a point where, after years and decades of Brexit, we need to open a constructive dialogue with our British friends," Weber continued.
"Even they have difficulties in securing them. They too are running out of money for the two aircraft carriers they have. They also find it difficult to maintain their capacities. And in this regard, maybe now is also right to start an organized structured dialogue with Great Britain", he emphasized.
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