Poland claims that it has submitted a request to the US to “host” nuclear weapons in its country for fear that Russia will attack with nuclear weapons. The US denies that it received such a request. Placing nuclear weapons in Poland is seen as symbolic, as having nuclear warheads close to Russia would make them less militarily useful
Poland claims that it sought to have (host) American nuclear weapons on its territory, against the backdrop of growing fears that Vladimir Putin might resort to using nuclear weapons in Ukraine to repel the Ukrainian military forces that are disbanding his army.
The request by Polish President Andrzej Duda is seen as symbolic, as placing nuclear warheads near Russia would make them more vulnerable and less militarily useful, according to experts. Furthermore, the White House stated that it had not received such a request.
“We are not aware that this issue has come up, we will refer you to the Polish government,” an American official told the British Guardian. President Duda’s announcement appears to be the latest example of fear of nuclear weapons. The US and its allies have been seeking to deter Putin from using nuclear weapons since 1945, while preparing potential responses should deterrence fail that would have the effect of an all-out nuclear war.
President Duda’s words come following changes in the constitution of neighboring Belarus that will allow Russian nuclear weapons to be placed on its territory. The Polish president said there was a “potential opportunity” for Poland to take part in “nuclear sharing”, whereby pilots from the host country are trained to fly missions carrying US nuclear bombs stored on their territory. “We have talked to American leaders about whether the US is considering such a possibility. The issue is open,” Duda told Gazeta Polska.
Putin threatened to use all the means at his disposal to protect Russian territory at the same time as announcing the annexation of four additional regions in Ukraine. He made the announcement as Russian troops are retreating in the face of a Ukrainian counter-offensive.
The White House warned of “catastrophic consequences” if Putin did use nuclear weapons, but did not specify what those would be. The US has previously said it warned Russian officials privately, but it is unclear how specific those warnings were.