Unpacking Europe's Deterrence Dilemmas 

Sophia Besch and Jamie Kwong | Carnegie Endowment for International Peace  

This year, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and others have raised a long-suppressed question: What if the United States cannot be relied upon to provide extended nuclear deterrence to NATO allies? Despite reassurances that U.S. commitments remain unchanged, Europeans have been working behind the scenes to meet the moment. ... Understanding how the European deterrence debate has evolved in response to these obstacles requires recognizing the fundamental challenge that it must do three things for three distinct audiences: deter Russia, assure allies on the continent, and keep the United States engaged. 

Russia says it awaits an answer from the US on New START as nuclear treaty ticks down 

Guy Faulconbridge and Lucy Papachristou | Reuters/Yahoo 

Russia on Wednesday said it was still awaiting a formal answer from Washington on President Vladimir Putin's proposal to jointly stick to the last remaining Russian-U.S. arms control treaty, which expires in less than two months. New START, ‌which runs out on February 5, caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the United States and Russia can deploy, and ‌the deployment of land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them. 

Trump security roadmap omits North Korea reference, raising diplomacy hopes   

Joyce Lee and Jack Kim | Reuters/Yahoo  

U.S. President Donald Trump's new global security roadmap has dropped any reference to denuclearising North Korea as a goal, fuelling speculation that Washington may be angling to boost the chances of a diplomatic breakthrough with Pyongyang in 2026. The target of ending North Korea's nuclear threat had been a constant in the National Security Strategy of every U.S. president since the emergence of ‌Pyongyang's programme in 2003, but was conspicuously absent in Friday's document. The omission ... is fanning expectations of a potential revival of talks between Trump and Kim Jong Un, last held in 2019. 

Iran says IAEA safeguards not built for wartime after strikes on nuclear sites 

The Jerusalem Post 

According to a report by the state-run IRNA news agency in Iran on Tuesday, Iranian officials are pressing for changes to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA’s) nuclear oversight rules, arguing that existing safeguards do not reflect the realities of armed conflict following recent attacks on the country’s nuclear infrastructure. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said the safeguards agreement Iran follows as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was drafted for normal, peaceful conditions rather than periods of war. He maintained that the current arrangements should be revised to enable them to operate under wartime pressures and better protect Iran’s security interests. 

China plans world’s first nuclear-powered cargo ship to carry 25,000 containers 

Kapil Kajal | Interesting Engineering  

China plans to build the world’s first nuclear-powered container ship, a project that could change commercial shipping as the industry works to reduce emissions and adopt new energy technologies. State-owned Jiangnan Shipyard is designing a 25,000-container nuclear-powered vessel, its vice president Lin Qingshan told the South China Morning Post during the Marintec China conference in Shanghai. 

Nuclear Notebook: The changing nuclear landscape in Europe 

Hans M. Kristensen, Matt Korda, Eliana Johns, Mackenzie Knight-Boyle | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists  

Since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and invaded Ukraine in 2022, the rhetoric, prominence, operations, and infrastructures of nuclear weapons in Europe have changed considerably and, in many cases, increased. This trend is in sharp contrast with the two decades prior that—despite modernization programs—were dominated by efforts to reduce the numbers and role of nuclear weapons. ... In this Nuclear Notebook, we provide an overview with examples of how the nuclear postures in Europe are evolving, especially the infrastructures and operations.