Duda to meet with Tusk on nuclear weapons deployment in Poland
Photo: Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk (Getty Images)
Polish President Andrzej Duda intends to meet with Prime Minister Donald Tusk to discuss the deployment of nuclear weapons in the country. Tusk himself is quite restrained in his comments on this topic, according to Euractiv.
“Of course, I will meet with the Prime Minister. Because it is clear and obvious to me that we cooperate in foreign policy and in any other area where there is a need,” Duda assured journalists.
According to him, “So far, this cooperation (with Tusk - ed.) is going well, as you have seen, and is beneficial for Poland.”
Andrzej Duda also explained that Nuclear Sharing “as a certain idea and a certain way of building the security sphere is implemented primarily by the United States within the framework of NATO.” He also noted that nuclear weapons under Nuclear Sharing have been and are being deployed “even in European NATO countries, at least in some of them”.
Tusk's position
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is more cautious about the idea of deploying nuclear weapons in the country.
“For me, this statement of the president (on nuclear weapons - ed.) regarding the possible presence of nuclear weapons in Poland is important. I am looking forward to meeting with President Duda, because this issue directly and very clearly concerns Poland's security,” the Polish Prime Minister said during a press conference on April 22.
He warned that he would have to “understand the president's intentions well.” Tusk emphasized that he cares very much about Poland being safe and as well-armed as possible.
“But I would also like possible initiatives to be first and foremost very well prepared by the people responsible for them and for us all to be convinced that we want this,” he added.
In his opinion, the idea presented by the president is “very ambitious and very serious.”
“I would have to know all the circumstances that prompted the president to make this statement,” Tusk stated.
Deployment of nuclear weapons in Poland
On April 22, Duda announced his readiness to deploy nuclear weapons in Poland, the reason being Russia. In particular, he said, Poland has obligations to NATO as a member of the Alliance and is ready to deploy nuclear weapons on its territory.
Nuclear sharing is a concept of “nuclear deterrence” policy among North Atlantic Treaty Organization member states and partner countries. Currently, only three NATO members possess nuclear weapons - the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, with the United States having the largest nuclear capability. It is known that of the three NATO nuclear powers (France, the United Kingdom, and the United States), only the United States has provided weapons for the sharing of nuclear weapons. As of November 2009, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey hosted US nuclear weapons under the nuclear sharing policy.
