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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Paris’s proposal for a nuclear deterrent is being considered and noted that Poland would be safer if it had “its own nuclear arsenal.”
This was reported by RMF FM.
At a meeting with journalists on Friday, Tusk commented on the French idea of protecting Europe with France’s “nuclear umbrella”. The head of the Polish government said that Paris’ proposal is being studied in detail.
Tusk noted that although Emmanuel Macron’s idea of extending the French nuclear deterrent to European countries is being seriously considered, it also raises some doubts. The problem, according to Tusk, is who will have actual power over such weapons.
“If we decide on it (the French nuclear sharing program), we should be sure that it will be in our hands,” Tusk emphasized.
In addition, he noted, money is also important in the context of the French proposal. In the case of France, about 14 billion euros a year is spent on arsenal maintenance alone, he said.
Tusk also said that the Polish government is in contact with the Ukrainian side and is discussing which weapons work best in the current environment and which technologies are worth investing in.
“We see what has happened to Ukraine now. It became a victim of an attack because it got rid of its nuclear weapons… Today, we would be safer if we had our own nuclear arsenal. There is no doubt about it,” Tusk said.
At the same time, he noted that the path to such a solution is “very long” and will have to be reached “by consensus.”
“We will use our technological, scientific capabilities to do this in cooperation with others to start thinking in a very modern way. No option is closed,” Tusk said.
On Wednesday, French President Macron said he was launching a “strategic debate” on protecting European allies with France’s nuclear deterrent. Macron’s statement was a response to the cooling of transatlantic relations and the rapprochement between Washington and Moscow.
Read also the text of the French president’s strategic speech: “Ukraine’s surrender is not peace. Russia has become a threat to France”. Macron’s historic speech
