“The question of Europe’s future nuclear defense is the elephant in the room in the European security debate. If the United States’ nuclear security guarantee disappears, then it will be important to clarify who will protect us in the future. And how do we prevent ourselves from becoming blackmailable over the nuclear issue in the future?” Jan Techau, director of the Holbrooke Forum at the American Academy in Berlin.
“It would be a catastrophic mistake if Berlin of all places were to start that kind of discussion. Might Germany perhaps actually want a nuclear weapon, despite all promises to the contrary? That would provide fodder for any anti-German campaign.” Wolfgang Ischinger, head of the Munich Security Conference.
“The fact that these considerations have been made public is deeply concerning,” “It would send the wrong message to America but also the grotesquely wrong message to Russia,” a diplomat representing one NATO member says that the message cannot be sent to Washington that Europe is in the process of exploring alternatives to the American protective shield.