Many European leaders feel they can no longer rely on the US to extend nuclear deterrence to Europe amid concerns of a potential Russian threat to the continent.
However, Western European countries are still reluctant to develop their own independent nuclear deterrents, according to a recent YouGov study.
The research saw more than 9,400 people from France, Britain, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Italy, and Sweden interviewed in the first two weeks of April 2025.
More than half of Swedes are against developing and maintaining their own nuclear arsenal.
This is followed by Germany at 49% and Italy at 47%.
By contrast, 64% of people in France and 55% of individuals in the UK, countries which already have their own nuclear arsenals, support keeping them.
Russia and the US together possess almost 90% of all nuclear weapons, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
France and the UK are Europe's only two nuclear powers.
France held around 280 nuclear warheads in 2024, while the UK had around 225, of which up to 120 are operationally available for deployment.
French President Emmanuel Macron has shown openness to discuss the potential deployment of his country's nuclear weapons elsewhere in Europe under specific conditions, such as France's ultimate control over weapons use and not paying for the security of other countries.
The UK has not publicly disclosed figures for its nuclear stockpile or number of deployed warheads and missiles since 2021.
This was a decision made by Boris Johnson's government following a move to keep the US nuclear stockpile number secret during Trump's first term.
The UK also has its own nuclear weapons system, Trident, but concerns have been raised about its independence.
The UK's warheads are manufactured domestically, but the missiles it uses are held and maintained in the US, specifically at Kings Bay Submarine Base in Georgia.
Is the US' nuclear umbrella off the table?
Far less appealing to Western Europeans is allowing American nuclear weapons to be stationed in their countries.
This includes Italy and Germany, which already host US nuclear arms, where 63% of Italian respondents and 59% of German respondents oppose having American nuclear weapons stationed in their country.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has renounced the possession of nuclear weapons, following the "Two Plus Four Treaty" signed in 1990.
At the beginning of March, Merz said that Germany "cannot and must not have its own nuclear weapons."
However, public opinion has been shifting slightly over the years.
Meanwhile, Spain and Sweden are the countries not hosting US nuclear arms with the highest number of people opposed to this idea, at 76% and 73%, respectively.
