Romania will not host nuclear components on its territory in the medium term, President Nicusor Dan has said after French plans were revealed to expand nuclear deterrence and collaborate with European partners.
President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this week France would expand its nuclear arsenal and potentially allow European partners to host French warplanes on nuclear deterrence missions.
France and Germany have set up a nuclear steering group to discuss deterrence and will begin cooperating this year.
Greece, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden could take part in French nuclear war games, Macron said. Romania said it had also been invited to talks.
“As a NATO state, Romania is under the NATO nuclear umbrella provided by the United States,” Dan told reporters returning from a visit to Warsaw.
“Being protected by the NATO umbrella does not imply the presence of nuclear elements on Romanian territory, and in the medium term, hosting nuclear components is out of the question.”
France and Britain are both nuclear powers but most European countries have relied on the U.S for deterring any potential enemies.
Trump has criticized Europe’s ability to defend itself and the move comes amid growing concerns about growing global geopolitical instability in the Middle East after the U.S and Israel struck Iran and Iran launched retaliatory strikes across the region.
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