Germany’s possession of its own nuclear weapons would undermine the international nuclear arms control system, according to Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the German BSW party.
“The movement to nuclearize Germany is gaining momentum: after Alternative for Germany politicians proposed developing German nuclear weapons, the hawkish CDU politician Roderich Kiesewetter and former Green Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer are now also advocating for Germany’s participation in the European nuclear bomb program. What madness!” she wrote on social media.
According to her, “Germany’s possession of its own nuclear weapons would be a gross violation of its international legal obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Two Plus Four Treaty, and would also undermine the international nuclear arms control system.”
“Our security is strengthened not by increasing the number of nuclear warheads, but by diplomacy, nuclear disarmament, and international agreements,” the politician emphasized.
She also spoke out against the deployment of US missiles on German territory.
“The American medium-range missiles scheduled to be deployed in Germany this year also pose a significant security threat. The deployment of these missiles undermines the nuclear balance between the US and Russia and significantly increases the risk that Germany will become the target of a nuclear strike in the event of a conflict,” Wagenknecht noted.
At the same time, she believes that, instead of fantasizing about acquiring its own weapons of mass destruction and making itself a target for a nuclear war by deploying offensive weapons, Germany should lead a diplomatic disarmament initiative.
As a reminder, under the third provision of the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, which entered into force on March 15, 1991, Germany renounced its own production, possession, and disposal of atomic, biological, and chemical weapons. However, US nuclear weapons remain on German territory as part of NATO’s strategic concept of deterring potential adversaries. In March 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron, in an address to his fellow citizens, announced that he would open discussions with his allies about the possibility of accepting European countries under the protection of the French nuclear deterrent. Germany, Poland, Lithuania, and Denmark have indicated their openness to this discussion.
