NATO members push for expanded nuclear sharing across Europe

European NATO allies are moving to broaden nuclear sharing. France has proposed a "forward deterrence" scheme that would allow its nuclear warheads to be deployed to other NATO states. Nine countries – Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom – have signed up to the initiative, while existing hosts such as Italy and Turkey already store U.S. nuclear weapons under the alliance’s sharing program. The drive is framed as a response to what Moscow and NATO officials describe as a growing Russian threat.

At a pre‑summit briefing in Ankara, NATO Secretary‑General Mark Rutte said the alliance is "in a good place" on nuclear security, a statement criticized for normalising the idea that more weapons increase safety. Analysts warn that the expanding nuclear footprint, especially around the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and with Finland and Sweden’s recent NATO accession, raises the risk of miscalculation or escalation in a region already heavily militarised.