Finland's Defense Minister: Handing Nuclear Deterrence to Europe Without US Unrealistic

Finland's Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen stated on Tuesday that the idea of replacing the U.S. nuclear umbrella with a fully European deterrence is currently unrealistic.

In an interview with Agence France-Presse, Häkkänen said discussions about handing nuclear deterrence to Europe instead of the United States are "not realistic at present."

The remarks come amid growing doubts about the extent of U.S. military commitment to Europe's security. Some European leaders have initiated talks on creating a European nuclear deterrent force in response.

France and Britain remain the only two European countries with nuclear arsenals, while other European Union members lack such capabilities.

Häkkänen emphasized that a European nuclear deterrence without U.S. involvement is not feasible in the short term, either militarily or politically. He described security cooperation with Washington as a key element of Europe's defense.

Concerns over the war in Ukraine and security tensions with Russia have renewed focus on Europe's reliance on the U.S. for security among European countries.