By Fatimah Idera
The President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, has called on the U.S. to transfer nuclear weapons to Polish territory as a deterrent against future Russian aggression. According to reports from the Financial Times, President Duda stated that he had recently discussed the proposal with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy.
Poland, which had previously stated that it would be ready to host U.S. weapons under a nuclear arms-sharing program, has also recently expressed interest in a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron to extend France’s nuclear umbrella to European allies.
“The borders of NATO moved east in 1999, so 26 years later, there should also be a shift in NATO’s infrastructure eastward,” Duda said. He added that “it would be safer if those weapons were already in the country.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a political opponent of Duda, said on Thursday that he believed such matters should be addressed discreetly rather than in media interviews. However, he acknowledged that the president had good intentions.
“We should formulate certain expectations publicly only when we are certain, or have reason to believe, that such appeals or calls will be heard. American administration and President Trump—is prepared for a positive response,” Tusk told reporters.
Galvanized by Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine three years ago, Poland now allocates a higher proportion of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense than any other NATO member, including the United States.
Last year, Poland’s defense spending reached 4.1% of GDP, according to NATO estimates, and it plans to increase this to 4.7% this year. Duda has also proposed enshrining a minimum defense spending threshold of at least 4% of GDP in the Polish constitution.
