“First of all, the problem is that we do not have nuclear weapons. There is no indication that we, as Poland, will have them in our possession in the near future. There is always the potential possibility of participating in NATO’s Nuclear Sharing Arrangements. We have talked to the American leadership about whether the United States is considering such a possibility. The matter is open,” Polish President Andrzej Duda says in an interview with ‘Gazeta Polska.’
Nuclear sharing is a concept in NATO’s nuclear deterrence policy that allows member states without their own nuclear weapons to participate in NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group (NPG) for their use. In particular, it provides for nuclear weapons to be made available to the armed forces of these countries.
Polish President Andrzej Duda was asked about the role and participation of Poland in these Arrangements by editor-in-chief Tomasz Sakiewicz.
“First of all, the problem is that we do not have nuclear weapons. There is no indication that we, as Poland, will have them in our possession in the near future. There is always the potential possibility of participating in NATO’s Nuclear Sharing Arrangements. We have talked to the American leadership about whether the United States is considering such a possibility. The matter is open,” the President announced in an interview with the ‘GP.’ In doing so, he emphasised:
“I will reiterate, however, that this would not be a nuclear weapon under Polish control. Participation in Nuclear Sharing does not mean having our own nuclear weapons.”
Sakiewicz remarked that most countries with their own nuclear weapons had started through that programme. Andrzej Duda responded:
“I think this should be considered in terms of the distant future, but I firmly believe that Poland will strengthen its security. This must be our long-range goal. It is to build Poland’s greatness for the future.”
Among the three nuclear powers in NATO (France, the United Kingdom, and the United States), only the United States is known for nuclear sharing. Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey have had American nuclear weapons on their territory since November 2009.
The entire interview with President Andrzej Duda can be found in the latest issue of the ‘Gazeta Polska’ weekly, on sale from Wednesday, October 5.