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Facing the future: Germany’s struggle with nuclear reliance on the US

January 23, 2026

Germany is famously "under the US’ nuclear umbrella"-creating a dependency that some are now calling risky. What exactly does that mean? How would US help protect Germany in a worst-case scenario? What options does Germany have to move toward a European umbrella? Host Nina Haase talks with her guests about Germany’s deep dependencies on the US -from NATO cooperation to nuclear deterrence.

https://p.dw.com/p/57Kx2

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Intro

01:20 Fears in NATO

06:15 Escalation over Greenland

07:16 Trump in Davos

07:50 Why did Trump back down?

08:36 NATO security in the Arctic

11:17 The power of personal diplomacy

12:39 Mark Carney’s speech

14:18 Germany’s position

18:42 Germany’s security dependencies

22:50 Germany’s role in NATO nuclear sharing

27:32 Can Europe build its own nuclear deterrent?

32:37 How fast could Europe go nuclear?

35:19 Can political shifts in allies be trusted?

39:35 From decoupling to “De-risking” Trump

41:21 Real power

45:50 Outro

 

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DW Berlin Briefing

From the US elections, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to evolving European security dynamics, this video podcast explores how these events impact Germany and the wider region.