Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on November 19, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleAirbus chairman urges Europe to acquire tactical nuclear weapons in response to Russian missile threats, proposing a unified deterrence strategy.
BERLIN (Reuters) -Airbus chairman Rene Obermann has called on European countries to acquire tactical nuclear weapons in response to the threat posed by Russian Iskander missiles deployed at Kaliningrad that can carry nuclear warheads.
"Our Achilles heel seems to be what Russia threatens us with fairly publicly: That's 500 plus tactical nuclear warheads on Iskander 26 missiles stationed right in front of our door in Kaliningrad, in addition to the newly stationed ones in Belarus," Obermann said at the Berlin Security Conference on Wednesday.
"Germany, France, Britain and other willing European member states should agree on a common and staged nuclear deterrence program, including very much so the tactical level. I think that would be a massive sign of deterrence."
(Reporting by Sabine Siebold; editing by Matthias Williams)
Tactical nuclear weapons are designed for use on the battlefield in military situations, as opposed to strategic nuclear weapons, which are intended for long-range targets and deterrence.
Deterrence is a strategy aimed at preventing an adversary from taking an unwanted action, typically by threatening significant retaliation or consequences.
Iskander missiles are a type of short-range ballistic missile developed by Russia, capable of carrying conventional or nuclear warheads and designed for quick deployment and high accuracy.
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