Jeremy Bowen
International Editor
BBC
Polish President Andrze Duda called on the US to base nuclear weapons on Polish soils.
At the Presidential Palace in Warsaw he told me that Poland would be stronger and safer as he faces Russia.
From Poland’s perspective, Putin’s Russia is clear and in the current danger.
Duda, who is also the commander of the rapidly expanding Polish army, said today Russia is at least as aggressive as the former Soviet Union.
He condemned what he called the greed of the Moscow empire.
The deployment of US nuclear weapons in Poland would be considered a provocation by President Putin.
However, President Duda sees the proposal as a defensive measure that will enhance deterrence.
He said it will be a response to Putin’s 2023 decision to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, across Poland, Ukraine and across the border.
“It’s the same Russia that is attacking Ukraine today. He’s an invader, bombing civilian settlements, killing civilians,” he said.
“And it’s moving nuclear weapons from the depths of Russia to Belarus.”
“This defensive tactic is an important response to Russia’s actions and will transfer nuclear weapons to the NATO region. Poland is ready to host this nuclear weapon.”
President Duda also welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to expand French nuclear umbrellas to other NATO states.
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Poland increased its defence spending and began building anti-tank fortress on the border with Kaliningrad, a Russian exclusion
The United States has already spinning around 10,000 troops through Poland at a time.
When asked how the presence of nuclear weapons would make Poland safer, Duda said it would deepen America’s commitment to Poland’s security.
“The US and NATO infrastructure in our soil, all strategic types of infrastructure, is strengthening the trends of the US and North Atlantic Alliance to protect this territory.”
Poland spends almost 5% of its national income on defense. That’s more than any other member of NATO, including the US.
Last week, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tass spoke to Parliament, warning that “deep changes in American geopolitics” have made both Poland and Ukraine “objectively difficult.”
Chancellor Tass called for further increases in Poland’s defence spending and suggested that Poland should consider reaching out for “opportunities related to nuclear weapons.”
Tass is in the center on the left, unlike President Duda, who is on the right and considers himself a friend of Donald Trump.
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Duda, the right-wing Piss party, is a long-term supporter of President Trump.
Referring to Putin’s rejection on Thursday, by immediately agreeing to a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, Duda said he is confident the US president has a plan to “encourage Russia to act reasonably.”
Duda doesn’t accept that he criticizes Trump or that his actions and words have raised questions about the US commitment, a mutual defense clause in the North Atlantic Treaty.
But he has more harsh words about Putin’s Russia than Donald Trump has ever used.
And he is asking the EU to seize Russian assets worth around 200 billion euros frozen in European banks.
“I think it’s clear that Russian assets, which have been gathered and trapped in Western European banks, should be used to support Ukraine, and that it should be double support,” he says.
“First of all, Ukraine should be supported to protect it from Russian invasions. Secondly, this should be used to support the reconstruction of Ukraine.”
“After the destruction of Ukraine, we cannot imagine that Russia could simply take away this money without paying compensation and compensation for the war.”
