Geopolitical Futures founder George Friedman declared that Europe already possesses its own nuclear deterrent and is fully capable of expanding it - while demands for American nuclear protection he considers insulting to the United States.
Friedman made these remarks on the Geopolitical Futures podcast, discussing the aftermath of the 2026 Munich Security Conference, "Hvylya" reports.
The analyst pointed out that Britain holds a substantial nuclear arsenal, developed jointly with the US and deployed on its own territory. France commands a significant military-industrial capability, including a nuclear stockpile carried aboard submarines that are "extremely hard to destroy."
"Europeans have their own nuclear deterrence and are fully capable of building it up. That they prefer not to do this is a European problem. And from the American perspective, it seems insulting that they expect this from us," Friedman stated. Peter Zeihan has also noted that the idea of shared European nuclear command faces deep cultural barriers between nation-states.
The analyst also highlighted the actual state of the Russian military after four years of war in Ukraine: "If the Russians had additional forces, they would have used them. They're already conscripting 50-year-old men, recruiting mercenaries from Africa." This, he said, further confirms that the need for American nuclear protection of Europe has expired.