Poland’s president urges US to move nuclear warheads to Polish territory

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Poland’s president has known as on the US to switch nuclear weapons to Polish territory as a deterrent towards future Russian aggression, a request that’s possible to be perceived as extremely provocative in Moscow.

Andrzej Duda mentioned it was “apparent” that President Donald Trump might redeploy US nuclear warheads saved in western Europe or the US to Poland, a proposal the Polish chief mentioned he not too long ago mentioned with Keith Kellogg, US particular envoy for Ukraine.

“The borders of Nato moved east in 1999, so 26 years later there must also be a shift of the Nato infrastructure east. For me that is apparent,” Duda mentioned in an interview with the Monetary Occasions. “I believe it’s not solely that the time has come, however that it will be safer if these weapons had been already right here.”

Duda is hoping to revive a nuclear sharing mission that he offered unsuccessfully to former president Joe Biden’s administration in 2022. Poland’s Communist regime hosted Soviet nuclear warheads throughout the chilly conflict, however stocking such weapons once more shut to Russia’s borders — this time beneath US management — could be seen as a critical risk by the Kremlin.

Duda mentioned it was up to Trump to resolve the place to deploy US nuclear weapons, however recalled President Vladimir Putin’s announcement in 2023 that Russia would move tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, Moscow’s ally in its invasion of Ukraine.

“Russia didn’t even hesitate once they had been relocating their nuclear weapons into Belarus,” Duda mentioned. “They didn’t ask anybody’s permission.”

Duda’s name to host nuclear weapons underscores rising nervousness in Poland — shared with different international locations in its area — about Russia rising bolstered from peace negotiations with Ukraine brokered by Trump.

Duda, who can be supreme commander of Poland’s armed forces, echoed Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in saying that the nation might alternatively get higher safety from President Emmanuel Macron’s concept to prolong France’s “nuclear umbrella” to cowl European allies. 

However Duda poured chilly water on Tusk’s suggestion final week that Poland might develop its personal nuclear arsenal. “So as to have our personal nuclear functionality, I believe it will take a long time,” the president mentioned.

Duda additionally mentioned he couldn’t envisage Trump making a U-turn on the dedication he gave throughout their assembly final month about sustaining US troops in Poland.

“Issues concerning the US taking again their navy presence from Poland aren’t justified. We’re a reputable ally for the US they usually even have their very own strategic pursuits right here,” he mentioned.

The Polish president additionally mentioned he didn’t contemplate Trump to be conducting pro-Moscow negotiations to power Kyiv to cease combating. 

“This isn’t delicate diplomacy, this can be a powerful sport, however for my part it’s not that President Trump is being solely good and mild with Russia,” Duda mentioned. “I believe he’s making use of devices towards Russia, regardless that it’s perhaps not as loud and visual as these he’s utilizing towards Ukraine.”

“No one has managed to date to cease this conflict, so let’s give President Trump an opportunity.”

Final weekend Polish overseas minister Radosław Sikorski feuded with US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Trump’s ally Elon Musk on social media over Ukraine’s entry to Musk’s Starlink satellite tv for pc system, with Musk dismissing Sikorski as a “small man”. Tusk stepped in to name on Poland’s allies to present respect for weaker companions reasonably than conceitedness.

Duda as a substitute criticised Sikorski for a “fully pointless” intervention over Starlink. “You don’t focus on with the American administration on Twitter, you do this by means of diplomatic channels,” he mentioned.

Duda, a nominee of the opposition Regulation and Justice (PiS) get together, has been at loggerheads with Tusk’s coalition since they gained parliamentary elections in 2023. He has repeatedly vetoed Tusk’s reform agenda with the assistance of PiS-appointed judges who pack the constitutional court docket. 

Requested if Trump’s administration might affect the Polish presidential election in Might, Duda mentioned he was “satisfied that Poles will make their very own selections”. However he expressed concern a few contested election end result, like that in Romania, provided that judges may also want to validate the Polish outcomes.

“There is no such thing as a doubt that we’re at present coping with a really critical constitutional disaster in Poland,” Duda mentioned. “What has occurred in Romania may be very regarding and it doesn’t fulfil European democratic requirements.”

Romania’s constitutional court docket has banned far-right candidate Călin Georgescu after annulling his first-round win following allegations that he benefited from an unlawful marketing campaign orchestrated by Moscow.

The Polish president accused the European Fee of turning a blind eye to Poland’s institutional battle after allegedly taking “many actions” to get Tusk again into energy in 2023.

“The European Fee is now pretending not to see this,” mentioned Duda. “And have you learnt why? It’s as a result of Prime Minister Tusk is a member of the identical European get together as many of the members of the European Fee, along with its president [Ursula von der Leyen].”