Morawiecki: Poland wants to host NATO nuclear weapons over Belarus threat
Poland wants to join NATO's nuclear sharing program in response to Russia's plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza cited Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki saying on June 30.
"Since Russia intends to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, we again call on all of NATO to take part in the Nuclear Sharing program," Morawiecki said.
"We do not want to sit idly by while Putin escalates all sorts of threats."
The prime minister stressed that the final decision will rest with the U.S. partners.
Nuclear sharing is part of NATO's nuclear deterrence where non-nuclear members are allowed to host nuclear weaponry of their allies on their territory. Germany, Belgium, Italy, Turkey, and the Netherlands take part in the program.
Warsaw already voiced interest in joining in October 2022 in response to Russia's nuclear threats.
The most recent impetus for Poland was the joint declaration by Minsk and Moscow that Russian tactical nuclear weapons will be deployed in Belarus.
On June 14, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko claimed that his country had already received the first weapons shipment from Russia. This was reiterated by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on June 16.
Ukraine's military intelligence refuted these claims on June 20, saying that not "a single nuclear warhead" has been delivered so far.
Maria Yeryoma
