Poland must consider acquiring nuclear weapons capabilities, its prime minister has said, as the country confronts Russia and the possibility of a United States retreat from Europe.
Donald Tusk said that Poland “must reach for the most modern possibilities, also related to nuclear weapons and modern unconventional weapons”, in a landmark speech to parliament that made stark the country’s need to increase its defence capabilities to confront a much more threatening global environment.
“I say this with full responsibility, it is not enough to purchase conventional weapons, the most traditional ones. The battlefield is changing before our eyes from month to month,” said Mr Tusk.
US president Donald Trump’s threats to stop protecting European allies and his decision to cut off military aid to Ukraine in an attempt to force immediate peace talks with Russia have spooked European capitals and prompted a drive to drastically increase defence spending and military capabilities that for generations have been provided by Washington.
French president Emmanuel Macron this week said he was willing to open a “strategic debate” with European countries interested in whether and how France’s nuclear deterrence capabilities could benefit the region. Mr Macron made the offer on Wednesday in response to a call from Germany’s chancellor in waiting Friedrich Merz. Countries such as Lithuania, Latvia and others also said expressed interest in exploring the options.
Warsaw was “talking seriously with the French about their idea of a nuclear umbrella over Europe”, said Mr Tusk.
Can Europe defend itself without the United States?
The French nuclear arsenal is smaller than that of the United States and the country’s doctrine says the president’s choice of whether to ever use them is guided by its “vital interests” that have a “European dimension”.
In contrast, US nuclear weapons help secure Europe through a more fleshed-out nuclear sharing agreement that is part of Nato and positions warheads in countries including Germany and Italy.
“We also need to look more boldly into the future in terms of arms technology,” said Mr Tusk.
“It is high time for Poland, using both the means it has, as well as its own experience, as well as experience on the battlefield, the Ukrainian experience, to look boldly at our capabilities regarding the most modern weapons.
“We are facing a very serious race. And this is a race for security, not a race to war,” said Mr Tusk.
The Polish PM also proposed to more than double the size of the country’s army to 500,000 troops and introduce compulsory military training for all adult men by the end of the year.
Poland will spend an expected 4.7 per cent of gross domestic product on defence this year, the highest in Nato. Mr Tusk told parliament that increasing it to 5 per cent, as Mr Trump has demanded, appeared “a necessity”.
“I deeply believe that we will all pass ... this exam,” said Mr Tusk. “That Poland will be safe and ... invincible.”
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