President Duda: Poland seeks dual nuclear shield from US, France

Polish President Andrzej Duda has voiced support for nuclear security cooperation with both France and the US, citing escalating threats from Russia and a need to strengthen Poland’s strategic defence posture.

In an interview, Duda emphasised that the two approaches are compatible, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

“I believe we can accept both solutions,” he said. “These two ideas are neither contradictory nor mutually exclusive.”

Prime Minister Donald Tusk had previously acknowledged Poland’s interest in exploring nuclear security ties, noting he was in “serious talks” with French President Emmanuel Macron regarding the extension of France’s nuclear deterrent to European allies. Poland's nuclear ambitions are part of a broader military buildup, triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

The country now allocates 4.7 per cent of its GDP to defence — the highest among NATO members — and has obtained EU support to reinforce borders with Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad region. Despite past lobbying efforts, Duda’s attempts to secure a place for Poland in the US nuclear sharing program under the Trump administration were unsuccessful. Now, with Russia deploying tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, Duda has renewed his appeal to NATO.

“How is NATO going to respond to that? My answer is very simple,” he said. “We invite you to extend nuclear sharing also to our territory.” Challenges remain, as France’s nuclear forces operate independently of NATO, and Poland is bound by the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Meanwhile, French and Polish officials are working on a bilateral treaty covering defense and nuclear cooperation. Duda also dismissed concerns over a possible US troop reduction, asserting that recent talks with Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested the US presence “will rather be strengthened.”

On March 5, French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the citizens of France, during which he spoke about a so-called “Russian threat” to European countries. In this context, he expressed a desire to begin discussions with foreign partners about the possibility of extending France’s nuclear deterrence umbrella to European countries. As the president stated, France's nuclear arsenal has been “preserving peace and security” in the region since 1964.

On March 13, Polish President Andrzej Duda gave an interview, in which he called on the US to place nuclear weapons on Polish territory. He shared that he had already discussed this issue with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.

By Naila Huseynova