Poland does not rule out the possibility of hosting French nuclear weapons on its territory, the country’s president, Karol Nawrocki, has said in remarks to the French media.
Poland, Nawrocki told the broadcaster, “should have its own nuclear capacities—energy, civil, and military.”
In May, France and Poland signed a landmark security treaty calling for enhanced bilateral cooperation in the defense and nuclear energy fields.
Signed in the French city of Nancy, the treaty included a mutual defense clause obliging the two NATO members to assist one another in the event of an external attack.
The agreement also called for stepped-up cooperation in the military and technology fields.
The treaty was signed by French President Emmanuel Macron and his then-Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk, Nawrocki’s immediate predecessor.
“From today, France and Poland … will be able to count on each other in every situation,” Tusk told reporters at the signing ceremony.
Tusk had earlier stated that the agreement could allow France’s nuclear umbrella to be extended to Poland, although the treaty does not explicitly mention such a scenario.
In March, Macron said he was open to extending France’s nuclear umbrella to cover other countries in Europe with a view to deterring Russian aggression.
“I have decided to open the strategic debate on the protection of our allies on the European continent through our [nuclear] deterrence,” Macron said in a televised address.
Mounting Tensions
In his recent remarks to the French media, Nawrocki was asked whether he expected French nuclear weapons to be stationed in Poland at some point in the future.“This is a very complex question,” he responded.
“We still want to develop this potential.
“It may be too early to talk about it. But if you ask me whether Poland should be part of the nuclear sharing program, I would say ‘yes, of course.’
“I want to do everything that will give security guarantees to Poland.”
Nawrocki made the remarks exactly one week after more than a dozen Russian drones were shot down after entering Polish airspace.
The incident raised alarm bells among Western capitals, with Poland responding by closing its border with Belarus, Russia’s closest ally in Europe.
Warsaw claims that the drone incursion was a deliberate attack by Russia—an allegation Moscow denies.
In 2023, Belarus made international headlines after Moscow unveiled plans to station nuclear weapons at Belarusian military facilities.
Officials in Minsk, including President Alexander Lukashenko, have since confirmed that an undisclosed number of Russian nuclear warheads are already stationed on Belarusian territory.
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia’s Oreshnik missile system—which can accommodate nuclear payloads—would be delivered to Belarus before the end of the year.