Poland hopes to host NATO nuclear weapons to counter Russia, says PM

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said authorities seek to host NATO nuclear weapons in Poland within the framework of the Nuclear Sharing program to counter the “threat” they claim Russia poses.

Morawiecki said on Friday that the request comes in response to Russia’s deployment of strategic nuclear weapons to neighboring Belarus.

“The final decision will depend on our American and NATO partners. We declare our will to act quickly in this matter,” Morawiecki said

He added that they do not “sit idly” while Russia “escalates all sorts of threats,” saying Poland also wants to have “the highest security level.”

“We endeavor to strengthen security. Nuclear Sharing, the program of the joint use of nuclear weapons, would seriously fortify our security.”

Meanwhile Dmitry Medvedev, Russian Security Council deputy chairman, in response to Poland’s desire to take part in NATO’s Nuclear Sharing program said “The only danger arising from the request to deploy nuclear weapons to Poland is that such weapons will be used.”

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his country will deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus as part of an agreement the two countries cut last summer.

Last week, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that a “significant” portion of the total number of nuclear munitions that Russia plans to place in his nation has now arrived.

Per previous statements from Putin and Lukashenko, these weapons are a mixture of nuclear-capable Iskander-M short-range ballistic missiles and air-dropped nuclear bombs, the latter of which the Belarusian Air Force now claims to be capable of employing.

Putin: Tactical nuclear weapons to be deployed in Belarus in July

President Vladimir Putin says Russia’s military will begin deploying tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus in July.

This is not the first time Polish authorities have publicly stated their interest in joining the NATO nuclear weapon-sharing program in light of Russia’s decision to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Last October, Poland President Andrzej Duda spoke about conducting talks on the possibility of including the country in the policy of sharing nuclear weapons within NATO.

“We have spoken with American leaders about whether the United States is considering such a possibility. The issue is open,” he said.

Among the NATO countries only the US, UK and France have a nuclear arsenal and non-nuclear members are only allowed to host nuclear weaponry of their allies on their territory.

Nuclear Sharing is NATO’s nuclear deterrence program. It makes nuclear warheads available to NATO member states without their own nuclear weapons.

NATO’s nuclear weapon-sharing agreement is entirely centered on US B61-series air-dropped nuclear bombs which were spread across six bases in five countries – Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey.

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