Polish Defense Minister denies wanting US nukes after deputy says otherwise
The NATO alliance allows non-nuclear countries to borrow US missiles.
Deputy Defense Minister Tomasz Szatkowski made the statement during an interview with the private Polish broadcaster Polsat, as cited by AP. He said that the ministry is contemplating whether to ask for access to the nuclear sharing program, which would allow Warsaw to boost its defenses with nukes.
This is the first time that a Polish official has voiced an intent to host nuclear weapons on the country’s soil.
However, the Polish Defense Ministry issued a statement on Sunday that Warsaw has not asked for and is not looking to host NATO nuclear weapons on its territory.
Former Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak (2011-2015) said that talks about his country’s possible participation in the Nuclear Sharing program had tainted the nation’s image.
“The last few days have become a great pity for Poland’s credibility. The world is looking at us. If we continue to hold a debate on access to nuclear weapons, the allies will not lend even a PlayStation, let alone serious weapons,”Siemoniak said.
Three NATO member states possess nuclear arsenals of their own: France, the UK and the US. Other countries could take part in the US-led Nuclear Sharing program, which involves hosting part of the US nuclear arsenal on a country’s territory in return for that country receiving training on how to handle and put to use nuclear weapons.
Poland has been one of NATO’s staunchest allies, since joining the alliance in 1999. It has also been keen to establish further links and in September Poland’s parliament gave the green light to President Andrzej Duda to ratify a technical agreement on establishing a US anti-missile base in Redzikowo. Under the NATO-backed plan, the facility should be operational by 2018.
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