U.S. Vice President JD Vance has said he would be "shocked" if the White House agreed to a Polish request to deploy American nuclear weapons on its territory as a deterrent against future Russian aggression.
"I haven't talked to the president about that particular issue, but I would be shocked if he was supportive of nuclear weapons extending further east into Europe," Vance told Fox News on March 13.
The statement was in response to a statement from Polish President Andrzej Duda earlier on March 13 who said such a move would be justified given Russia had already taken similar steps by deploying tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.
"The borders of NATO moved east in 1999, so 26 years later, there should also be a shift of the NATO infrastructure east. For me, this is obvious," Duda said.
"Russia did not even hesitate when they were relocating their nuclear weapons into Belarus," he said, adding: "They didn't ask anyone's permission."
Duda said he recently discussed the idea with Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, and hopes to revive a nuclear-sharing proposal that he unsuccessfully presented to former U.S. President Joe Biden's administration in 2022.
The proposal comes amid mounting warnings from Western leaders and intelligence agencies about the possibility of a large-scale war in Europe within the next five years.
Russia's tactical nuclear weapons are designed for use on the battlefield in Europe and Asia and have a more limited range compared to strategic nuclear weapons, which could reach the U.S.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly issued nuclear threats against Ukraine and the West since launching the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
While those threats have not materialized, concerns persist over Russia's military ambitions beyond Ukraine.
Oleg Sukhov
