Alexander Lukashenko announced on December 2023 that Russia has recently relocated its nuclear weapons to Belarus, Poland’s neighbouring country. As the Russian aggression against Ukraine continues, and the Kremlin threatens the West with further escalation, the NATO member states are preparing for eventual confrontation with Russia.
In an interview with the publication “Fakt,” Poland’s President Andrzej Duda expressed his interest in participating in the Nuclear Sharing programme. He suggested that Poland, as a member of NATO, would be willing to host nuclear weapons belonging to other member countries of the alliance as a response to Russia’s decision to relocate its nuclear weapons to Belarus.
“If there were a decision by our allies to deploy nuclear weapons within the nuclear sharing also on our territory to strengthen the security of NATO’s eastern flank, we are ready,“ Duda told “Fakt”. He noted Poland is aware of its obligations within the alliance.
Recently, Polish public opinion has been divided about the kind of help offered to Ukraine and the Ukrainian refugees residing in Poland. Although the general sentiment is in favour of continuing to assist Ukraine with weapons and humanitarian aid, there is a noticeable part of the society expressing fatigue with the war and questioning the presence of Ukrainians due to Russian disinformation. The far-right openly calls to stop helping Ukrainians in Poland and embraces the Russian narrative about the “Kyiv regime”.
The Nuclear Sharing programme is an initiative launched in the 1950s that involves several NATO countries. The participating countries are Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and Turkey. While only three NATO members are nuclear powers—the United States, the United Kingdom, and France—these participating countries accept American tactical nuclear weapons on their territories, which are supervised and controlled by Americans. It’s important to note that tactical weapons differ from strategic ones in terms of both range and destructive power.
President Duda has expressed similar views before. Last year, he spoke about Poland’s willingness to participate in nuclear sharing within NATO.
Prime Minister Tusk wants a meeting with the President
In response to the President’s suggestion, Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that his priorities are Poland’s security and military potential. Thus, he needs to discuss the suggestion with the President urgently.
Despite belonging to opposing political parties, Duda and Tusk share similar views on national security. According to journalists, Tusk also emphasised the importance of thorough preparation and ensuring that any potential initiatives are positive for Poland.
“I am looking forward to the meeting with the President because the matter concerns Polish security,“ said Donald Tusk on Monday. The main issue of their meeting will be Poland’s readiness to join the Nuclear Sharing program.
The President accepted to meet Tusk.
“Of course, I will meet the Prime Minister because it is clear to me that we cooperate with each other on foreign policy matters and whenever necessary,“ Duda said, wrote “Fakt”.
