Poland Seeks Both US and French Nuclear Guarantees

Polish President Andrzej Duda said his country should’ve sought to protect France’s nuclear deterrent from a potential Russian threat.

He said this in an interview with Bloomberg News in Warsaw.

At the same time, Duda continued to call for the deployment of US nuclear weapons in Poland.

“I believe we can accept both solutions (US and French nuclear weapons. – Ed.) These two ideas are neither contradictory nor mutually exclusive,” the president said.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament in March that Poland could have gained access to nuclear weapons and said he had been in “serious talks” about a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron to use Paris’s nuclear potential to protect European allies.

Speaking less than four months before leaving office, Duda defended his efforts, saying NATO’s role is to counter “aggressive behavior on the part of Russia.”

In 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow had deployed some of its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, having alarmed allies on the alliance’s eastern flank.

“How does NATO intend to respond to this? My answer is very simple. We invite you to extend the nuclear exchange to our territory,” Duda said.

Meanwhile, Poland’s acceptance of Macron’s proposal could face a number of obstacles, as France’s nuclear shield does not depend on NATO security guarantees that extend to Poland.

Warsaw has also pledged not to acquire nuclear weapons as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Paris and Warsaw are currently finalizing work on a bilateral agreement that will cover, among other things, defense, nuclear energy, and scientific cooperation.

Amid the possible withdrawal of US troops from Europe, Macron said he was ready to offer the France’s “nuclear umbrella” to protect other European states. And Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas said the US’ “nuclear umbrella” in Europe would remain in place because Washington did not want to risk nuclear proliferation.