Poland open to host nuclear weapons, but no decisions yet - Duda
Photo: Polish President Andrzej Duda (Getty Images)
Poland is not opposed to hosting nuclear weapons in the country, however, no decisions have been made yet, according to the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda.
“There are no decisions on joining the Nuclear Sharing program yet, but we declare our readiness... I have no doubt that the security of the countries where nuclear weapons are deployed today is much higher,” the Polish president said.
He also noted that the current hosting of nuclear weapons in Europe reflects the lines of contact between the defunct Warsaw Pact and NATO countries in the early 1950s. Meanwhile, the changes that the world is facing after the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine are so advanced that the Alliance needs to adapt.
"Today, Russia poses the greatest threat not only to Poland but to the whole of Europe. We have long been warning about serious risks associated with the activities of the Russian Federation," he said.
The President noted that if the threat was not real, Poland would not spend 4% of GDP on defense.
“We see that Russia, waging an offensive war against Ukraine, has moved to a war economy, conducts provocative actions against NATO countries and violates further agreements. It is Russia that is arming the Königsberg area, and it is Russia that is moving nuclear weapons to the territory of Belarus. I think it is clear who is pursuing the policy of escalation here,” Duda said.
Nuclear weapons in Poland
Last month, Polish President Andrzej Duda announced his readiness to deploy nuclear weapons in Poland. However, the Polish Foreign Ministry did not support his statement and even criticized it.
At the same time, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda noted that Duda's idea was reasonable. He explained that the deployment of NATO nuclear weapons in Poland would help deter the Russian Federation.
