European leaders are increasingly confronting a once-taboo question: how to defend the continent in a more dangerous world if reliance on the United States can no longer be taken for granted.
With Russia’s war in Ukraine fuelling fears of a wider threat and uncertainty lingering over Washington’s long-term security commitments, the debate over nuclear deterrence has moved decisively into the political mainstream. Across Europe, governments are weighing how to strengthen their defences – and whether a more distinctly European nuclear role is now unavoidable.
