Deputy government spokesperson Steffen Meyer. File Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa.
The German government has firmly rejected a report regarding talks on possible German financing of British and French nuclear weapons programmes. Deputy government spokesman Steffen Meyer stated on Friday that such conversations were not taking place, as reported by dpa.
”As it was reported, we can deny this. There are no such talks about financing or plans for financing,” Meyer said in Berlin.
The British newspaper The Telegraph had previously reported that talks were underway concerning German financial contributions.
According to that report, there were also considerations regarding participation in the conventional protection of nuclear weapons sites, a role Germany could fulfill using its Patriot air-defence system.
Meyer pointed to existing discussions, such as those on deeper German-French cooperation on deterrence questions. He described cooperation within NATO on nuclear deterrence as being ”of a purely complementary, supplementary nature.”
”The cornerstone of our collective security is and remains the alliance. We organize nuclear deterrence jointly within the trans-Atlantic alliance,” the deputy government spokesman said, adding that talks on this matter were also ongoing.
”But I would not speculate here about hypothetical questions as to what might come of it or what might be possible,” he added.
NATO is currently working on plans to expand nuclear deterrence in Europe in response to threats from Russia.
Berlin does not possess nuclear weapons and has renounced them under international law. Under the so-called nuclear sharing arrangement, the Bundeswehr – Germany’s military – keeps aircraft on standby that could, if necessary, deliver US nuclear bombs to their targets.
