Following President Donald Trump's statements about taking over Greenland, Germany and Poland, countries long satisfied with the US nuclear umbrella, welcomed France's proposal to expand its strategic deterrence capabilities across Europe, Bloomberg reported.
China and Russia, long-time members of the group of countries possessing nuclear weapons, have warned about the risk of weapons proliferation in Japan and South Korea. The US is considering returning to nuclear bomb testing after more than 3 decades of interruption.
A diplomat from a European country said that the need to develop separate nuclear capabilities is being actively discussed in many capitals on this continent.
The feasibility of possessing weapons of mass destruction is being publicly discussed, even in countries that have committed never to possess them" - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi noted.
He added: "But having more nuclear weapons in more countries will not make the world safer, but vice versa. More important than ever is maintaining the non-proliferation standards of nuclear weapons that have served the world well for half a century.
Currently, only 9 countries are considered to possess nuclear weapons, but more than 20 other countries have energy programs, industrial platforms and technical capabilities sufficient to begin building bombs. Just 25kg of high-enriched uranium or 8kg of plutonium is enough to create a weapon that can destroy a small city.
This wave is driven by the belief that abandoning nuclear weapons makes countries vulnerable, with Libya, Ukraine and now Iran being considered typical examples of the consequences. Although possessing nuclear weapons does not guarantee to avoid being attacked, it significantly increases the price of an attack.
The more countries possess nuclear bombs, the harder it is for great powers to control their use, and the more dangerous the world becomes.
The United Nations meeting to review the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which has existed for 56 years, scheduled to take place in April, is expected to show much resistance from nuclear-armed countries to the limits set by the treaty.
The worst-case scenario is a "coil effect of weapon proliferation," according to Mr. William Alberque, senior expert at the Pacific Forum. He noted: "The possibility of a coil effect in the Middle East and East Asia will make these two regions much more dangerous.
Mr. Trump himself is also one of the world leaders who warned of the increasing risk of nuclear conflict. During the October 2024 campaign, he said that the US is "very close to World War 3" and pledged to prevent it.
However, the decision of the US and Israel to attack Iran to eliminate its nuclear program shows how fragile the current situation is.
As of June, IAEA inspectors confirmed that Iran possesses more than 440kg of uranium enriched close to weapons manufacturing level, theoretically sufficient to quickly produce about a dozen nuclear weapons.
