But Friedrich Merz cautions such a move could not replace the US’s existing protective shield over Europe
Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/09/germany-to-reach-out-to-france-and-uk-over-sharing-of-nuclear-weapons
Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.
I doesn’t look like us Brits can completely break with the US in military or intelligence terms, at least for the time being (if not foreseeable future). But closer military co-operation with the rest of Europe clearly has to happen, assuming maintenance of our nuclear capability isn’t completely reliant upon, or tied up with the US.
Late edit (after a few people upvoted this post) - given the disgraceful way the EU treated the UK during brexit negotiations this sharing of nuclear weapons should come at significant economic cost to EU countries that might want it. I mean, the alternative, a UK aligned to the US and Russia, military bases and nuclear weapons ready, full of US bases, puts the shitty way EU countries were happy to deal with the UK into a bit of perspective.
The Chinese are going to build their biggest embassy in Europe in London about half a mile or so from the US embassy. I’d guess the UK will continue trying to play a mediating role.
Just curious from an American here -
Why should the EU have treated the UK better during brexit? It was clear at the time that they were weakening Europe and themselves on the back of things like immigrant fear stoked by far right and Russian propaganda.
The people of the UK that voted leave or didn’t bother to vote fucked themselves didn’t they?
They shouldn’t. The “No” campaign ran flat-out lies about what Britain would be able to get out of negotiations, claiming we “hold all the cards”. We did not.