Germany's incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he wanted to talk to France and Britain about sharing their nuclear weapons, but stressed the move was not aimed at replacing US nuclear protection for Europe.
"Sharing nuclear weapons is an issue we need to discuss. We must be stronger together in nuclear deterrence," Mr. Merz stressed in an interview with Deutschlandfunk television on March 9.
The interview came a day after Mr Merz agreed the basis for a cooperation agreement between Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) and Social Democratic Party (SPD), according to Reuters.
Friedrich Merz, leader of the German conservatives and chairman of the CDU party, in Berlin on March 8, 2025.
The future German leader also said that the current global security situation requires Europe to discuss the issue of nuclear weapons together. "We should negotiate with both countries (France and Britain), always from the perspective of complementing the US nuclear shield, which of course we want to maintain," Merz said.
Due to its World War II past, Germany is bound by several international non-nuclear treaties. However, it still participates in arms-sharing agreements of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
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At a summit in Brussels last week, European Union (EU) leaders backed plans to spend more on defense amid concerns about potential conflict with Russia amid growing concerns on the continent about support and commitment from the United States.
Addressing concerns that Germany's plans to tighten migration rules would cause friction with its neighbours, Mr Merz said the policy did not conflict with European migration rules. "We want to see European solidarity... but Germany also has the right to protect its own security and order," he said.
However, Mr Merz admitted that he still had a lot of work to do to convince the Greens to pass policies. Mr Merz will hold talks with the Greens this week.
Merz's tougher stance on security and migration reflects a changing political landscape, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has emerged as the country's second-largest party, Reuters reported.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nguoi-sap-lam-thu-tuong-duc-muon-tiep-can-anh-phap-ve-chia-se-o-hat-nhan-1852503101024039.htm
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