Belgian defense minister to Merz: ‘Keep your mouth shut’ on nukes

BRUSSELS — Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken criticized European leaders for speaking too much about nuclear weapons.

“Regarding nuclear deterrence, I really don’t understand why European leaders are so loose-lipped. Not wise. Please keep your mouth shut,” he posted on X, in reply to a podcast interview by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

In the interview, the German leader ruled out the development of a German homegrown nuclear deterrent but said German fighter jets could potentially carry French and U.K. nuclear weapons. Germany and Belgium are both part of the U.S. nuclear sharing agreement and their air forces can carry American nuclear bombs.

Merz and Francken’s comments come as the conversation about a European nuclear deterrent heats up ahead of a speech by French President Emmanuel Macron on the role of France’s atomic weapons in Europe’s security expected on March 2.

The Belgian defense minister also interpreted Merz’s negative comments on the Future Combat Air System fighter jet being developed by Germany, Spain and France as a death sentence for the program.

“FCAS is dead, according to the German chancellor in this podcast. There will be no Franco-German sixth-generation fighter jet. Belgium was an observer in the program. We will reassess our position,” Francken said.