Poland Speaks to U.S. About Sharing Nuclear Weapons

Poland has spoken to the US about sharing atomic weapons, said President Andrzej Duda.

Polish officials announced that talks with the Biden Administration are underway about the possibility of hosting US nuclear weapons.

However, “US and NATO have publicly stated that they have no plan to deploy nuclear weapons in countries that joined the alliance after the collapse of communism more than three decades ago,” according to Bloomberg.

“A White House official said they were unaware of the issue being raised and referred further questions to Poland’s government.”

JUST IN 🚨 Poland has spoken to the US about sharing atomic (nuclear) weapons to counter the growing threat from Russia, President Duda said.

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) October 5, 2022

Poland asks US for nuclear weapons amid growing fears of Putin’s threats https://t.co/6EzK6oGo2l

— The Guardian (@guardian) October 5, 2022

Poland is looking to host US nuclear weapons under NATO's nuclear-sharing programhttps://t.co/DUjeEbzbcs

— Dave DeCamp (@DecampDave) October 5, 2022

Cont. from Bloomberg:

The Biden administration is seeking to walk a fine between supplying Ukraine with advanced weaponry while avoiding moves that would cause the Kremlin to further escalate the conflict. Poland, NATO’s largest member from the former Warsaw Pact, is one of the most vocal proponents of bolstering the alliance’s eastern flank.

“The problem, first of all, is that we don’t have nuclear weapons,” Duda said in an interview with the Gazeta Polska newspaper published on Wednesday. “There is always a potential opportunity to participate in nuclear sharing.”

Nuclear sharing can comprise anything from offering escort or reconnaissance jets for a nuclear mission, or offering dual-capable aircraft available for nuclear roles to actually hosting an ally’s nuclear weapons. Allies such as Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy and Turkey host U.S. nuclear weapons on their soil, according to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.

Zero Hedge noted that Poland would be the first NATO member formerly behind the Iron Curtain to host US-NATO nuclear weapons.

Polish officials expressed interest in hosting US-NATO nuclear weapons on their soil.

Via Notes from Poland:

Poland is open to hosting nuclear weapons and has discussed the idea with the United States, President Andrzej Duda has revealed. The head of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, Jarosław Kaczyński, says he “fully supports” the idea.

In an interview with the Gazeta Polska weekly, Duda was asked about the idea of “nuclear sharing”, a NATO system under which countries that do not have their own nuclear weapons host those from others that do.

“There is always a potential opportunity to participate in the nuclear sharing programme,” responded Duda. “We have spoken with American leaders about whether the United States is considering such a possibility. The issue is open.”

The president emphasised, however, “that this would not be a nuclear weapon under the control of Poland. Participation in nuclear sharing does not imply having your own nuclear weapon”.

After the interviewer pointed out that other countries which now have nuclear weapons began with nuclear sharing, Duda replied that, while this “must be viewed in terms of the distant future, I firmly believe that Poland will strengthen its security. That must be our long-term goal.”

🔴 Prezydent @AndrzejDuda na łamach jutrzejszej Gazety Polskiej mówi o udziale Polski w programie Nuclear Sharing.

Czytaj więcej na https://t.co/IaHOUFXhYX oraz wygodnej subskrypcji elektronicznej dostępnej na https://t.co/P6zoug9c6E #GazetaPolska #Duda #tygodnik #środa #media pic.twitter.com/5KZn2lIPsU

— Gazeta Polska – w każdą środę (@GPtygodnik) October 4, 2022

Zero Hedge added:

And according to a top Polish official, discussions with Washington along these lines are moving forward:

A senior diplomat in Warsaw said Duda’s comments could potentially include any of those activities. The diplomat, who declined to be named because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said hosting the weapons would be in the security interest of Poland, the region and all of Europe.

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“We have spoken to American leaders about whether the US is considering such a possibility” of Poland sharing the weapons, Duda told the newspaper. “The topic is open.”

Despite Duda emphasizing the long-term future nature of the possibility of Warsaw having US nukes, the mere discussion itself is likely to trigger extreme alarm for the Kremlin, which for months has been strongly denouncing Poland’s “extremely militant, anti-Russian” stance and policies.

Further, Moscow officials on up to President Putin himself have continued to blast the expansion of NATO military infrastructure into Russia’s backyard and up to its doorstep. This has been the persistent Kremlin justification for the Ukraine invasion from the beginning.

Just days ago, Ukraine’s Zelensky reacted to Russia’s annexation move against the four occupied eastern territories by declaring formal Ukraine application to NATO, and hope for an expedited process.

https://twitter.com/ClintEhrlich/status/1576754457882132480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1576754457882132480%7Ctwgr%5E0774e8b2bacf31540fba001db797a93d5a85864d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fgeopolitical%2Fpoland-talks-us-about-hosting-nuclear-weapons

However, Ukrainian NATO membership becoming a reality anytime soon is extremely unlikely – given all 30 member nations of the alliance would have to consent. Hungary remains a prime example of a NATO country which would not approve, along with some others likely to fear more than anything else automatically triggering Article 5 with admitting Ukraine, and a hot war with nuclear-armed Russia.