Britain Proposes Extending Nuclear ‘Umbrella’ to Ukraine and Non-NATO Countries

The UK has been urged to extend its nuclear ‘umbrella’ to European countries that are not members of NATO.

The Telegraph reports that the proposal includes creating a European Confederation that would combine economic integration with defense commitments modeled on NATO.

The initiative was developed by former Conservative Party MP Nick Bowles.

One of the key elements of the proposal would be a British nuclear guarantee. Under the plan, London would extend its nuclear ‘umbrella’ to European states that are not members of NATO and are currently not covered by Britain’s nuclear commitments.

In exchange for expanding its defense commitments, the UK would seek access to the EU single market for trade in goods.

Ukraine, Switzerland, Norway, and the Western Balkan states have been proposed as potential members of the European Confederation. This could therefore see British nuclear guarantees potentially extended to a much wider group of European partners.

Ukraine would be given a special role in the proposed system. Kyiv would be expected to maintain a large military that would serve as one of the main barriers against possible future Russian aggression. In addition, Ukraine would share its expertise and technologies in the field of unmanned systems with other European countries.

Meanwhile, London does not plan to rejoin the eurozone or agree to the free movement of people.

Meanwhile, the proposal does not currently have the status of official UK government policy. The document has already been presented to senior British officials, including Prime Minister’s National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell.

Militarnyi previously reported that the United States was discussing the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons in more European NATO member states.

This would include, in particular, deploying dual-capable aircraft at new bases, which can carry both conventional and nuclear weapons.