Polish President Duda Announces Desire to Join NATO Nuclear Sharing
President Andrzej Duda told Polish media he has discussed joining a nuclear sharing agreement with the United States (NATO)
On October 5, Poland’s President, Andrzej Duda, announced he had discussed joining NATO’s nuclear weapons-sharing agreement during an interview with Gazeta Polska. Joining the agreement would allow Poland to host nuclear capabilities belonging to other NATO members.
The President said “there is always an opportunity to participate in nuclear sharing. We have spoken to American leaders about whether the US is considering such a possibility.”
Duda’s comments earned the support of Jarosław Kaczyński, the head of the ruling Law and Justice party, who shared he “fully supports” Poland evolving its nuclear capabilities.
This update comes in light of Russia’s escalated tactics in Ukraine.
On Monday, October 10th, President Vladimir Putin retaliated against the Ukrainian bombing of the Kerch Strait Bridge– a bridge that links the occupied Crimean Peninsula to Russia. He did so through a series of missile strikes across Ukraine, many of which targeted civilians.
Putin has also suggested he is willing to use nuclear weapons. In a speech announcing the annexation of Ukrainian territories, Putin referenced an American precedent of using nuclear weapons to conduct warfare. Many war analysts fear Putin could use this annexation to justify nuclear retaliation.
There are three nuclear powers in NATO: the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. The United States is the only one of these countries that partakes in nuclear sharing, the process of deploying nuclear weapons under full US custody to European countries to encourage nuclear deterrence. American allies– Germany, Belgium, and Italy– currently hold US nuclear weapons in their territory. The Federation of American Scientists estimates that the US has 100 nuclear weapons remaining in Europe from the Cold War.
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Duda and his administration have advocated for Poland to strengthen its military capabilities, with the stated goal of developing “the most powerful land [force] in Europe.” The country has already increased its defense spending by roughly 3 percent.
Poland has continuously supported the Ukrainians. Duda shared that the Kremlin’s use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine would provoke swift international retaliation. He stated that “[t]he problem above all is that we don't have nuclear weapons.”
Poland's request is largely symbolic: it would place nuclear weapons in closer proximity to Russia, making the country more vulnerable and less militarily capable.
Russia has also expanded its nuclear capabilities. Neighboring Belarus recently changed its constitution to allow Russian nuclear weapons in its territory. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko told reporters he will consider how to respond to Poland’s nuclear threat.
It is not yet clear how likely an American-Polish nuclear sharing agreement is to occur.