Polish PM criticizes President Duda over calls for US nuclear weapons deployment

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has criticised President Andrzej Duda's call for the United States to deploy nuclear weapons in Poland.

Tusk emphasised that public expectations should only be formulated when there is confidence that such appeals will be heard and that the intended recipient— in this case, the US administration and President Donald Trump— is prepared to respond positively, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

He made these comments during a press conference after arriving from Ankara, which was broadcast by TVP Info. He declined to offer further commentary on the issue of hosting American nuclear weapons in Poland.

Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, who joined Tusk, remarked that President Duda had not adapted to the fact that foreign policy is managed by the government. Sikorski added that matters such as these should be discussed at nuclear planning group meetings and during confidential talks with states that possess such weapons.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak reiterated that decisions on the deployment of nuclear weapons should be made at the NATO level.

To recall, on March 13, Duda has called for the transfer of U.S. nuclear weapons to Polish territory as a deterrent against Russian aggression. Duda highlighted that the move would enhance security, particularly after NATO's eastern expansion in 1999, and further suggested that NATO's infrastructure should also shift eastward. 

Poland has expressed willingness to host U.S. nuclear weapons under a sharing programme and is also considering the extension of France's nuclear umbrella to its European allies, as proposed by President Emmanuel Macron.

By Aghakazim Guliyev