Khaberni - Finnish Defense Minister Antti Haakaninen considered, on Tuesday, speaking to Agence France-Presse that the idea of Europe assuming nuclear deterrence instead of the American umbrella is "unrealistic at this time".
In light of increasing doubts about American military support for Europe, European leaders have begun to explore ways to form a European nuclear deterrent force.
The European Union's foreign relations officer, Kaja Kallas, told the Finnish newspaper "Helsingin Sanomat" that a debate needs to be initiated about developing such a deterrent force.
Currently, France and the United Kingdom are the only European countries that possess a nuclear arsenal.
Haakaninen said, "We have full confidence in the agreement concluded last year within NATO, which stipulates that the United States is committed to full nuclear deterrence within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization".
He welcomed any discussion about "strengthening European nuclear deterrence".
He stated, "If Europe intends to invest more in nuclear deterrence in France or the United Kingdom, it can only be positive," noting at the same time that Europe is still not capable of competing with the United States.
He added, "If you are talking about replacing American nuclear deterrence, it is not realistic at the moment".
On the other hand, he observed that the European countries "play a first-class role in conventional defense".
The NATO Secretary-General confirmed at the end of January that Europe cannot defend itself without the United States.
He emphasized that if Europeans are really intent on building a European defense alliance, it would "cost them billions", and warned speaking to European deputies that "in this scenario, you would lose the ultimate guarantee of our freedom, which is the American nuclear umbrella. Good luck."
