Polish President Andrzej Duda has urged the United States to move its nuclear weapons to Poland, emphasizing the need for an eastward “shift of the NATO infrastructure” in an interview with the Financial Times published on Thursday.
As a strong ally of Ukraine, Poland has been ramping up its defence as it aims to deter a potential threat from neighbouring Russia.
“The borders of NATO moved east in 1999, so 26 years later there should also be a shift of the NATO infrastructure east. For me this is obvious,” Duda was quoted as saying by the FT.
“I think it’s not only that the time has come, but that it would be safer if those weapons were already here,” he added.
In April, Duda — a conservative ally of the right-wing Polish opposition — said his country was ready to host NATO’s nuclear arms.
Moscow in response warned it would take steps to “ensure its security”.
Duda said in Thursday’s interview: “Russia did not even hesitate when they were relocating their nuclear weapons into Belarus.”
“They didn’t ask anyone’s permission,” he told FT.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said earlier that Poland in arming itself must reach for the most modern options, “also related to nuclear weapons”.
On Thursday he told reporters he appreciated “president Duda’s efforts” to strengthen the security of his country.
He added, however, that it was “preferable to deal with this type of issue discreetly and not through interviews with the press”.
Poland’s foreign ministry’s spokesman told AFP Duda’s comments had not been made in consultation with the government.
Tusk last week hailed France’s offer to discuss extending its nuclear umbrella to other European nations as “very promising”.
Poland is already far ahead of its allies in terms of military expenditure, aiming to allocate 4.7 percent of its output to defence spending.
AFP
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