As Russia is bolstering its military near Poland's border, President Andrzej Duda declared that Poland is amenable to NATO putting nuclear weapons there as a deterrent to Russia's "imperial ambitions."
“If our allies decide to deploy nuclear arms on our territory as part of nuclear sharing, to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank, we are ready for it,” Mr. Duda said in an interview published on Monday.
NATO member Poland, an ardent backer of Ukraine, borders the isolated Russian exclave of Kaliningrad by 144 miles and Belarus, the Russian ally that received Russian tactical nuclear weapons from Russia in December, by 250 miles.
Talks for nuclear cooperation between Poland and the United States have been going on "for some time," according to Mr. Duda, who was interviewed while in New York for the UN Sustainable Development Week.
“I have already talked about this several times. I must admit that, when asked about it, I declared our readiness,” he said, possibly referring to his meeting in Washington with President Joe Biden last month.
Mr. Duda praised U.S.-Poland relations during the last three presidents and hoped to see the cooperation continue—also on an economic level.
“Americans have their interests in Poland and I would like them to feel that it is always profitable for them to have these interests, because it will mean for them that maintaining our security is also in the interest of the United States,” he said.
Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland, has said in the open multiple times that the nation is effectively living in the pre-war era, but Mr. Duda vehemently disagreed.
“I believe that if we act responsibly, and we are acting responsibly so far, there will never be a war, because we will always be powerful enough to not be worth attacking. This is what deterrence is all about,” he said.
Mr. Duda asserted that "Russia did not dare to attack the West because it saw that the West was powerful," making reference to the Cold War armaments race.
In response to Mr. Duda's acknowledgement that Moscow would act if nuclear weapons were indeed stationed in Poland, Moscow responded.
“The military will of course analyze the situation if it is implemented. I think, in any case, they will take all the necessary responsive steps in order to guarantee our safety,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state-owned news agency RIA Novosti.
Fear of a Russian invasion also sparked discussions in Poland about universal civilian firearm access, analogous to the United States.
“We don’t have such a tradition,” Mr. Duda replied. “We can discuss loosening some of the shackles and requirements in this area, but I would be cautious about complete universal access to weapons.”
The Polish President went to supper with former President Donald Trump while he was in New York.
“Regardless of who is currently in power in Poland and regardless of who is in power in the United States, it is the duty of the Polish authorities to ensure the best possible relations between our countries,” Mr. Duda said, who reminisced signing “very important” arms contracts with the former president during their 4-year-long collaboration.
“I really want to emphasize that we have been friends since then,” the Polish President said. “I really like talking to him because he is an extremely interesting personality and has great experience, both political and business.”
“I am confident about how America’s business will be conducted when President Trump runs it again.”
