Germany weighs role in European nuclear shield as Greenland tensions rise

The prospect of US President Donald Trump eyeing Greenland has sparked fresh debate in Germany over the country’s reliance on the US nuclear umbrella, raising questions about whether Berlin should consider developing its own nuclear arsenal.

Brigadier General Frank Pieper, Director of Strategy & Faculties at the German Armed Forces’ Leadership Academy, caused a stir on LinkedIn by arguing that Germany may no longer be able to rely on the United States for nuclear protection, Caliber.Az reports per German media.

“If it comes to it, in a serious crisis, Germany would be on its own,” he warned. Pieper called for the development of mobile tactical nuclear weapons to deter potential threats, particularly from Russia.

CDU foreign policy figure Roderich Kiesewetter echoed the concerns, suggesting that Germany should explore closer cooperation with other European nations to share the costs of nuclear deterrence, while remaining within the bounds of international law. He stressed the importance of “planning for the unlikely but dangerous scenarios,” even if such planning takes a decade to implement.

However, legal constraints remain a major obstacle. Germany is bound by the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty and the 1990 Two-plus-Four Treaty, both of which prohibit the acquisition or deployment of nuclear weapons. Even indirect involvement, such as financing a European nuclear force, faces complex political and legal questions regarding command, deployment, and storage.

SPD veteran Rolf Mützenich warned against any move towards nuclear armament. He argued that expanding the number of nuclear-armed states could trigger a global “nuclear Armageddon,” pointing to countries such as Saudi Arabia as potential future nuclear powers. Instead, Mützenich urged Germany to focus on diplomacy and arms-control negotiations, emphasising that a world with more nuclear states would be far more unstable.

The debate recalls earlier discussions during Chancellor Konrad Adenauer’s tenure, when Germany’s post-war leaders considered developing their own nuclear capability amid fears that US protection might not be guaranteed. Today, with transatlantic ties under strain and new security challenges emerging in Europe, those questions are once again coming to the fore.

By Aghakazim Guliyev