Task: More NATO countries may be allowed to host nuclear weapons

TT

Published 11.04

 

A US F-35 fighter jet capable of being armed with nuclear weapons. Archive photo. Photo: Kamran Jebreili/AP/TT

The US is considering placing more nuclear weapons in European NATO countries as a form of compensation for the withdrawal of other forces, sources told the Financial Times.

US representatives have signaled that more of the country's nuclear weapons could be deployed in more countries than those that already host US nuclear weapons, three sources told the newspaper.

The Trump administration in the US has announced large withdrawals of conventional forces from allies in Europe, with demands that allies pull a larger load within NATO. There, a broader nuclear umbrella could be seen as a kind of guarantee.

According to the sources, there is interest in Poland and the Baltics. Today, the US has nuclear weapons deployed in Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Germany and probably in the UK.