Polish President Andrzej Duda confirmed engaging in discussions with former U.S. President Donald Trump on the topic of NATO nuclear sharing — a framework involving the deployment of nuclear weapons on Polish territory.
During an interview with the tabloid Fakt, President Duda disclosed that the dialogues with Trump included considerations for Poland to host nuclear arms.
“I admit, when questioned, I demonstrated our willingness. Russia is increasingly militarizing the Kaliningrad region and has lately been relocating their nuclear arsenal to Belarus,” he said.
Duda said he believes that positioning nuclear weapons in Poland through nuclear sharing would significantly fortify the nation’s defense.
“We are a committed ally within NATO and undertake commitments in this aspect as well, which means we are executing a collective policy,” he stated in the discussion with the newspaper.
The meeting between the two world leaders occurred last week at Trump Tower in New York, where Trump’s staff noted that they discussed President Duda’s proposal for NATO countries to commit 3 percent of their GDP to defense and the ongoing war.
The encounter with Trump was private in nature as earlier suggested by the Polish President. “It was a cordial meeting held in a very pleasant atmosphere,” Duda commented after his dinner at Trump Tower.
This past March, President Duda advocated for an increase in defense spending from 2 to 3 percent of GDP for NATO countries. The proposal was part of the discussions during the summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Washington.
