BRUSSELS — Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken criticized European leaders for speaking too much about nuclear weapons.
“Regarding nuclear deterrence, I really don’t understand why European leaders are so loose-lipped. Not wise. Please keep your mouth shut,” he posted on X, in reply to a podcast interview by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
In the interview, the German leader ruled out the development of a German homegrown nuclear deterrent but said German fighter jets could potentially carry French and U.K. nuclear weapons. Germany and Belgium are both part of the U.S. nuclear sharing agreement and their air forces can carry American nuclear bombs.