'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
CTV
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
“I don't know anything about such decisions, so responsibly speaking I am saying there are no such decisions in place, but we are declaring our readiness,” Duda told CTV’s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos in an exclusive interview airing Sunday.
Duda spoke in Polish, through a translator.
According to NATO, the alliance’s nuclear sharing arrangements ensure all member states both share in the risk, but also benefit from “collective defence,” by strategically hosting nuclear weapons in certain countries. The United States, the United Kingdom, and France are all nuclear weapons states in their right, while Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkiye, and Italy all host nuclear weapons provided by the U.S.
All NATO also share the responsibility of decision making when it comes to nuclear missions and deterrence.
With Russia’s war on Ukraine past the two-year mark, Duda said if NATO collectively decides to bolster defences on its eastern flank by having Poland host nuclear weapons, his country is prepared.
“It is not any kind of new information,” Duda said. “For many years in fact, we have repeated that if NATO allies make such a decision to deploy within NATO or to broaden the program of nuclear sharing to include Poland, then we are ready, because we understand that this is about strengthening the security of Europe.”