Europe needs to acquire a nuclear arsenal that stands head-to-head with the Russian one quantitatively and independent from the U.S. or any other nation (including the French and British) for nuclear deterrence. This means many more European nations need to acquire a nuclear arsenal.
The frustrating part is that the U.S. doesn't want to give assurances whether it will come to Europe's aid if it were attacked, but at the same time doesn't want European nations to develop an independent nuclear capability. Many European nations (Poland, Finland, Sweden, Germany) are currently contemplating going nuclear. The U.S. is actively discouraging them to do so.
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (to which they are all signatories) effectively prevents these countries from acquiring nuclear weapons. Unless they are willing to face international sanctions and economic ruin, that’s the end of the story.
If you leave the treaty are you still subject to international sanctions if you develop nukes? Me thinks not. That makes the treaty a paper tiger.
The NPT was only useful when the lines were clear and larger nations would come to the aid of smaller ones when they were attacked. That's no longer the case.
I would argue that NATO under Trump is a paper tiger. There is a reason no-one wants to buy US weapons any more, though the intricacies of where they are, having assumed the US would be a reliable ally, mean the current flood of US weaponry to European countries will slow down gradually, not all at once.
Reputation is a fickle thing, so difficult to build, and so easy to lose.
The strategic and economic importance of Europe is too great for even the U.S. to ignore. That's the reason I'm convinced the U.S. will always come to Europe's aid if the need arises.
I'm pretty sure the Trump Administration has made this clear to the Russians through diplomatic channels. A Russian attack is therefore unlikely.
Europe needs to acquire a nuclear arsenal that stands head-to-head with the Russian one quantitatively and independent from the U.S. or any other nation (including the French and British) for nuclear deterrence. This means many more European nations need to acquire a nuclear arsenal.
The frustrating part is that the U.S. doesn't want to give assurances whether it will come to Europe's aid if it were attacked, but at the same time doesn't want European nations to develop an independent nuclear capability. Many European nations (Poland, Finland, Sweden, Germany) are currently contemplating going nuclear. The U.S. is actively discouraging them to do so.