Poland wants to join NATO's nuclear planning and the European nuclear umbrella

Poland remains interested in participating in NATO’s nuclear sharing program. At the same time, Warsaw is negotiating its participation in the planning of a European “nuclear umbrella” proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron.

“To dispel any doubts: Poland remains interested in participating in NATO’s nuclear sharing program. We are also negotiating a proposal to participate in the European nuclear umbrella. Our government’s position on these issues is unequivocal,” the Polish minister wrote.

Kosiniak-Kamysz’s statement came after Polish Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski said that Warsaw does not want to host allied nuclear warheads on its territory.

Zalevski made these remarks after a meeting with Deputy Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby.

When asked whether a future U.S. military presence in Poland might include nuclear capabilities, the Polish official replied:

“No. I would like to say this very clearly and openly. Poland does not want nuclear warheads on its territory,” the Deputy Minister of Defense stated.

At the same time, Zalevski emphasized that Poland wants to remain part of NATO’s nuclear deterrence system; however, he said, this does not entail the deployment of nuclear warheads on Polish territory.

On Thursday evening, Poland’s Deputy Minister of Defense further clarified his statement.

“The Polish government has just been given the opportunity to participate in the DCA (Dual Capabilities Airborne) program, which is a preliminary step toward the joint use of nuclear weapons. But this does not mean storing nuclear weapons in Poland. That is neither possible nor desirable,” Zalevsky wrote.

Thus, Warsaw draws a distinction between participation in NATO’s nuclear deterrence mechanisms and the physical deployment of nuclear weapons on Polish territory.

At the same time, the country’s government confirms its interest in broader participation in NATO’s nuclear planning and European security mechanisms.

Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated this on X.

U.S. allies are increasingly assessing how to strengthen their own defenses due to doubts about the reliability of America’s extended nuclear deterrence. According to analysts surveyed by CNBC, this could prompt more governments to reconsider acquiring nuclear weapons and increase the risk of a cascade of proliferation.

In Russia, discussions about the possibility of further escalation of the war are becoming more frequent. According to Bloomberg, some Russian officials close to the Kremlin admit that Vladimir Putin might, at some point, consider using tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine as a last resort.