Poland ‘open’ to hosting US nuclear weapons: Deputy PM

Poland, a member of the NATO military alliance, is “open” to the idea of hosting American nuclear weapons as a deterrent against possible Russian threats, Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski has said.

"Let's face it: The soldiers of the US nuclear power are the strongest in stopping Russia from attacking NATO countries and provide us with the greatest security," Kaczynski said in an interview with Germany's Welt Am Sonntag newspaper.

Kaczynski, who leads the ruling national-conservative Law and Justice Party, said he had discussed the possibility of the United States deploying tactical nuclear weapons to Eastern Europe with US senators when he was still in opposition with his party.

"Back then, they thought it was possible. If the Americans asked us to store American nuclear weapons in Poland, we would be open to it," he told the German newspaper.

He acknowledged that deployment of American nuclear weapons was not currently on the agenda but the situation “may change soon,” adding that “the initiative would have to come from the Americans.”

“In principle, however, it makes sense to extend nuclear weapons sharing to the eastern flank."

The United States and its allies do not disclose the number of American nuclear stockpiles deployed in Europe.

But, the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, a nonpartisan nonprofit committed to eliminating the threat of weapons of mass destruction, estimates that there are about 100 US-owned nuclear bombs scattered in five European countries ready to be loaded on fighter jets.

In his interview, Kaczynski also called on the United States to deploy 50,000 more American troops to Europe to protect NATO’s eastern flank against any possible threat from Russia.

"The eastern flank must be much better protected in the future than before," Kaczynski told the newspaper, while urging NATO to do more to bolster Ukraine’s defenses, including by sending “a peacekeeping mission” and providing the kind of weapons that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested.

Moscow, which sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, has repeatedly warned NATO against sending more weapons and troops near Russia, and some NATO members have cautioned that such moves would drastically escalate tensions.

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Kaczynski said he was “very dissatisfied” with Germany for not heeding the Ukrainian leader’s calls for more military assistance. He said Berlin should provide more weapons to Ukraine and potentially lead an European oil embargo against Russia.  

On Sunday, Germany said the West would agree to impose more sanctions on Russia in the coming days after Ukraine accused Russian forces of war crimes near Kiev.

Russia has denied killing civilians in the town of Bucha, accusing Ukraine of staging a performance for the Western media. This came after the mayor of the newly liberated town, in a video message on Sunday, claimed that 300 people had been killed by Russian forces with some being shot execution style.

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