Germany is in talks to help fund Britain’s Trident nuclear deterrent programme as Europe seeks to bolster its defences against Russia, according to a report.
The discussions have been motivated by increased fears of a Russian attack on a Nato ally and by the unpredictability of the US under Donald Trump, sources told the Telegraph.
The plan would include Germany integrating into existing British and French nuclear deterrents rather than pursuing its own nuclear bomb.
It could also include supporting Britain’s deterrent with conventional forces, according to military planners in Berlin.
“We have a very strong interest that the existing nuclear powers in Europe extend their capabilities,” a source told The Telegraph*.*
The report comes after CIA director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow this week, with sources telling the Wall Street Journal andPolitico that the discussions focused on preventing a Russian attack on a Nato ally.
US intelligence reports earlier this month said that Russia was assessing an attack on a Nato ally to test the alliance’s resolve.
The last time a CIA director visited Russia was in 2021 ahead of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
“There is thinking and talking about how the existing nuclear capabilities [such as Trident] may play a bigger role for the defence of Europe, and of deeper cooperation among European countries,” another security source explained.
The news also comes after months of tensions between Trump and Europe during his second term as president. He has made several statements complaining of Europe’s reliance on the US and has threatened to withdraw troops from the continent.
“Policymakers are waking up each morning and asking themselves what the hell the Americans are going to do tomorrow,” a German diplomatic source added.
“The discussions were avoided with the argument that, when push comes to shove, the Americans will help us along with their nuclear forces. But now things are very different,” one source said.
German-operated Patriot ground-based air defence batteries could also be deployed to key locations such as Faslane, Scotland, a submarine base and home to the UK’s Trident fleet, according to the report.
Officials in Berlin believe they could help Britain develop the next generation of submarines but a British defence source questioned the feasibility of this adding: “The ability to contribute to the defence of Faslane is more credible, likely and appropriate.”
A spokesperson for the UK ministry of defence told The Independent: “Our nuclear deterrent is the cornerstone of our national security, protecting the UK and our Nato allies every moment of every day.
“We remain the only European Ally to commit its nuclear deterrent to the defence of Nato. This means that all Nato Allies already benefit from the protection of our nuclear deterrent.”
The Independent has contacted the German foreign office for comment.
Germany is also reported to be in similar talks with France and has previously worked with Israel to manufacture submarine’s as part of its nuclear deterrent programme.
The country has a longstanding history of opposition to nuclear weapons and has never developed its own programme for several reasons, including guilt over World War Two and a powerful domestic anti-nuclear movement. It remains a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which came into effect during the 1970s during the Cold War.