Berlin dismisses report on plans to fund nuclear weapons

The German government has firmly rejected a report about talks on possible German financing of British and French nuclear weapons programmes, with deputy government spokesman Steffen Meyer saying on Friday such conversations were not taking place. 

"As it was reported, we can deny this. There are no such talks about financing or plans for financing," Meyer said in Berlin.

British newspaper The Telegraph had reported that talks were under way about German financial contributions. 

According to the report, there were also considerations about participating in conventional protection for nuclear weapons sites, something Germany could do with its Patriot air-defence system.

Meyer pointed to talks such as those on deeper German-French cooperation on deterrence questions. Cooperation within NATO on nuclear deterrence was "of a purely complementary, supplementary nature," he said.

"The cornerstone of our collective security is and remains the alliance. We organize nuclear deterrence jointly within the trans-Atlantic alliance," the deputy government spokesman said, adding that talks on this were also taking place. 

"But I would not speculate here about hypothetical questions as to what might come of it or what might be possible," he added.

NATO is working on plans to expand nuclear deterrence in Europe in the face of threats from Russia. 

Berlin does not possess nuclear weapons and has renounced them under international law. Under what is known as the nuclear sharing arrangement, the Bundeswehr - Germany's military - keeps aircraft on standby that could, if necessary, deliver US nuclear bombs to their targets.