A proposal has been put forward in the United Kingdom to extend the reach of Britain’s nuclear “umbrella” to European states that are not members of NATO. The plan was developed by Nick Boles, a former Conservative Party member of parliament.
The initiative envisages the creation of a “European Confederation” — a new association that would combine economic integration with defence commitments modelled on NATO. One of the key elements of the proposal would be a British nuclear guarantee: London would extend the protection of its nuclear deterrent system (including Trident) to countries that are currently not covered by these commitments.
Potential members of the confederation would include Ukraine, Switzerland, Norway and the Western Balkan states. Ukraine would be assigned a special role: the country would be expected to maintain a large army as the primary barrier against possible future aggression from Russia, and to share its experience and technologies in unmanned systems with European partners.
In exchange for expanding its defence commitments, the United Kingdom would seek access to the EU single market for trade in goods. The proposal does not involve rejoining the eurozone or accepting freedom of movement of people.
The document has been submitted to senior British officials, including National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell. It is not yet official government policy, but a political concept. Its author argues that a new framework for cooperation is needed because Europe can no longer fully rely on US security guarantees.