Washington warns that political Islam infiltration could pose a potential risk to Europe’s nuclear weapons

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance warned about a scenario he considers “not unlikely” in the coming years, arguing that European nuclear powers such as France and the United Kingdom could face security risks due to what he described as the infiltration of figures close to “political Islam” into European politics, potentially affecting security controls related to nuclear weapons.

In an interview with the British outlet UnHerd, Vance said he does not rule out the possibility that political figures in Europe “sympathetic to or close to Islamists” could hold elected office — and that this phenomenon may expand in the coming years — which could make control over nuclear arsenals a potential risk if such figures gain influence within governing institutions.

He added that the shared cultural and historical ties between the United States and Europe make Washington more concerned about this possibility than about similar developments elsewhere in the world.

Vance’s warning comes amid broader tensions surrounding nuclear security and the protection of allies, as concerns are growing in Washington over demographic and political shifts within Europe that could reshape these countries’ priorities regarding traditional Western defense structures. Some analysts link these concerns to broader anxieties about Europe’s continued reliance on the United States to deter both conventional and unconventional threats, including nuclear proliferation.

It is worth noting that this political warning has sparked wide debate among analysts, as it connects issues of migration and cultural policy on the one hand with nuclear security on the other — a link that is not commonly made in traditional diplomatic discussions about the safety of nuclear arsenals.