EU President Manfred Weber calls for a European nuclear shield: “We have to be honest with people” | Abroad

But “regardless of who is elected president in the US, Europe must stand on its own two feet in the field of foreign policy,” says German of the European People's Party – to which CD&V belongs. Weber wants to focus on European nuclear security. NATO still relies heavily on US nuclear weapons stationed at various European air bases, including our country's Kleine Broegel.

Of mainland Europe, only France – with an arsenal of around 300 nuclear weapons – could play a role in a nuclear conflict. In 2020, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that France's “nuclear umbrella” would help protect the entire EU and invited other countries to discuss it. Macron has been advocating for more European autonomy in the defense sector for years, for example by setting up a European army.

_{(EPP leader Manfred Weber was in Kyiv this week for a meeting with President Zelensky)}

According to Weber, the time has come to work on such a European defense. Later in the interview, he insists on “getting better at identifying risks.” “We have to be honest with people,” he argues. “The reality of the impending situation cannot be hidden from Putin in order to somehow create the impression that everything is not so bad.”