The Polish government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk has in principle supported today's appeal by Polish President Andrzej Duda for the US to deploy nuclear weapons in Poland, but Minister of the Interior and Administration Tomasz Szemonjak warned the president not to do this through the media because he risks the embarrassment of being rejected again.
"There is nothing worse than announcing a coherent idea and then receiving a response three days later that it is out of the question. Because it simply weakens our position. Such things are arranged in the silence of the cabinet and when we are sure that there is a way to achieve it," Šemonjak told Polish private television station TVN24.
This is not the first time that the Polish president has publicly, through the media or in speeches, requested that Poland be included in the American Nuclear Sharing program, under which five countries have American nuclear missiles whose use is decided by the US, or that he has even mentioned that discussions are underway about it.
Each time, however, Washington denied that any talks were taking place or that the topic was even on the table.
The Polish president appealed in an interview published today by the Financial Times for the US to deploy nuclear missiles in Poland, citing Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's statement that French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to extend his nuclear umbrella over Europe is worthy of attention.
"NATO's borders were moved east in 1999, and 26 years later, the time has come for NATO's infrastructure to move east as well. For me, it's natural," said Duda, recalling that Russia, without any hesitation or asking anyone, has already moved its tactical nuclear weapons west, to Belarus.
Deputy Prime Minister in Tusk's government, Minister for Digitalization Krzysztof Gawkowski, said today that no idea that increases Poland's security should be ruled out.
"There are debates in Europe about French nuclear weapons. And that American umbrella would be valuable. Today, the rules of the game have changed. This does not depend on the decision of Poland, but on the US president and the Pentagon," said Gavkovski, according to Polish television Polsat.
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