“Russia should be treated as an existential threat to Poland. In this logic, the consequence is participation – entering nuclear co-financing – or the prospect of building our own, sovereign nuclear capabilities,” said Sławomir Cenckiewicz, head of the National Security Bureau, in an interview with Reuters.
At the beginning of February, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Berlin was holding talks with Paris regarding the potential use of its nuclear capabilities on a Europe-wide scale. Poland is also expected to hold talks with France, as recently reported by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
According to Sławomir Cenckiewicz, quoted by Reuters, Warsaw should monitor the discussions between Berlin and Paris, but give priority to NATO’s Nuclear Sharing program. He pointed out that the French alternative would place full control over nuclear weapons in the hands of the President of France and stressed that the use of such weapons under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty should be an allied decision.
In his view, the only credible partner for Poland in nuclear matters remains the United States, citing its advantage over European countries possessing such weapons. “The United States has not stopped for a single moment in the areas of the military and intelligence – it has simply continued to develop and invest in this potential,” he said.
He also emphasized that Poland must build forces adequate to the threats it faces. “Russia should be treated as an existential threat to Poland,” he stressed, adding:
“In this logic, the consequence is participation – entering nuclear co-financing – or the prospect of building our own, sovereign nuclear capabilities.”