In an interview published Friday by Bloomberg, President Andrzej Duda said Poland should simultaneously seek coverage under France’s nuclear‑deterrence system and join NATO’s U.S.‑led Nuclear Sharing programme. “We are capable of adopting either solution—or both,” he stressed, adding that the two ideas “are neither contradictory nor mutually exclusive.”
Last month Prime Minister Donald Tusk spoke of the need to extend a “nuclear umbrella” over Poland and confirmed that Warsaw is discussing President Emmanuel Macron’s offer to use France’s nuclear arsenal to defend European allies.
For several years President Duda has argued that Poland should be included in NATO’s Nuclear Sharing arrangement. Participation could involve hosting American atomic weapons on Polish territory—something believed to be done already by several European NATO members—or assigning Polish escort or reconnaissance jets to nuclear missions.
“France is talking about a nuclear umbrella. Why shouldn’t we agree and sign an accord with our French ally while also negotiating Nuclear Sharing?” the president asked.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Duda underlined that NATO’s job is to counter “Russia’s aggressive behaviour.” In 2023 President Vladimir Putin announced that part of Russia’s tactical nuclear arsenal had been deployed to Belarus, alarming NATO’s eastern‑flank members.
“How does NATO intend to respond? My answer is very simple: we invite an expansion of Nuclear Sharing to include our territory,” Duda said.
Bloomberg notes that embracing Macron’s proposal could face obstacles: France’s nuclear shield is independent of NATO security guarantees that cover Poland, and Warsaw is party to the Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty, which commits it to forgo acquiring nuclear weapons.
Asked about reports that U.S. forces might be relocated from the Jasionka garrison, Duda replied, “There is absolutely no reason to believe that American troop numbers in Poland will be reduced—quite the opposite.”