In response to Russia’s increased nuclear saber-rattling over Ukraine, President Andrzej Duda claimed that Poland has discussed sharing atomic weapons with the US.
Following Russia’s invasion of the neighbouring Ukraine, the largest NATO member in eastern Europe has increased military expenditure, but up until now, authorities haven’t claimed they’ve spoken with allies interested in nuclear weapons as a deterrent.
The remarks raise concerns about whether a NATO member that was previously under the Iron Curtain may host US nuclear weapons for the first time. By doing so, Russia would disobey President Vladimir Putin’s threats that his country will retaliate against any increase in the military power of the alliance in its old backyard.
In an interview with the Gazeta Polska newspaper that was released on Wednesday, Duda stated that “the problem, first and foremost, is that we don’t have nuclear weapons.” “There is always the possibility of taking part in nuclear sharing.”
Offering dual-capable aircraft for nuclear operations, providing escort or reconnaissance jets for a nuclear mission, or even hosting an ally’s nuclear weapons are all examples of nuclear cooperation. According to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, the United States has nuclear weapons on the soil of allies including Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and Turkey.
A top diplomat in Warsaw claimed that any of those actions may have been implied in Duda’s remarks. Hosting the weapons would be in the security interests of Poland, the area, and all of Europe, according to the diplomat, who declined to be identified because he was not authorised to talk publicly on the subject.
Poland’s de facto leader and chairman of the ruling Law & Justice Party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, stated to the German weekly Welt am Sontag in April that his country was “ready to hosting US nuclear weapons.”
In recent days, Putin has made hints that further escalation in Ukraine would include the employment of weapons that haven’t been in a battle since 1945. He requested NATO return to its pre-1997 views before attacking Ukraine, when the alliance was still serving as a shield for former communist nations against their old Soviet overlords.
Poland’s administration “has lately created considerable alarm,” according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who spoke to Prime state news agency in April. “The line is highly militant, anti-Russian, and the suggested acts, of course, can only lead to a further escalation in tension on the continent.”
Poland, one of the most ardent backers of Ukraine’s attempts to repel Russia’s seven-month incursion, is in separate discussions about obtaining atomic energy with a number of nations, including the US.
