Berlin, 18 February 2026 (dpa/MIA) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has ruled out the acquisition of German nuclear weapons amid debate over a European nuclear deterrent.

"I do not want Germany to think about having its own independent nuclear armament," Merz said in an episode of the political podcast "Machtwechsel" (change of power) due to be released on Wednesday.

The chancellor pointed to existing treaties in which Germany commits to refrain from acquiring nuclear weapons, including the Two Plus Four Agreement that paved the way for German reunification in 1990 and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

However, Merz said he could envision making German military aircraft available for a possible deployment of French or British nuclear weapons.

German Tornado fighter jets are already stationed at Büchel air base in western Germany for the potential deployment of US nuclear weapons. "In theoretical terms, it would be possible to also apply this to British and French nuclear weapons," Merz said.

At the Munich Security Conference last week, the chancellor said he was in talks with French President Emmanuel Macron about a joint European deterrence framework.

Macron had offered such discussions to Germany and other EU partners in 2020 during the first term of US President Donald Trump. His proposal received little support from then-chancellor Angela Merkel and her successor, Olaf Scholz, before Merz took up the offer.

NATO's nuclear deterrence is currently based primarily on US nuclear weapons, an estimated 100 of which remain stationed in Europe, including some in Büchel.

Photo: MIA archive