Poland wants a share of NATO’s nuclear weapons amid alarming reports that Russia is preparing for potential nuclear confrontation with the Alliance.
Poland is taking measures to protect itself from its traditional rival – Russia, which is why the country requested access to nuclear weapons through NATO’s nuclear-sharing program, according to Morning News USA.
The news come amid growing fears that Moscow is preparing to respond with nuclear weapons on a NATO member state shooting down a Russian jet in late November, while there are also reports that Russia has already started picking nuclear-powered allies to fight a nuclear war against NATO.
Poland is a major NATO ally, while the nuclear weapons would come from the United States. But a nuclear war involving the U.S., NATO and Russia “would probably spell, if not the end of humanity, the end of any possibility of a comfortable future for humanity,” according to ValueWalk, citing Press TV’s interview with Don DeBar, U.S. political analyst.
Poland’s deputy defense minister, Tomasz Szatkowski said that Polish Defense Ministry is considering to ask NATO for access to nuclear weapons from the U.S. The request can be granted under the Alliance’s nuclear-sharing program, which states that non-nuclear member state are allowed to borrow American nuclear weapons.
Only three out of 28 NATO member states – the U.S., France and the U.K. – own nuclear weapons. And the U.S. is the only NATO member that has enough nukes to share with other allies. Turkey, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy are currently borrowing nuclear weapons from the U.S., while Canada and Greece have had American nukes since 1984 and 2001, respectively, according to the newspaper.
Russia’s outrage over Poland’s nuclear weapons
Russia gained much control over Poland between the 19th and 20th century. Then Russian communists made Poland a vassal state under Communism from 1989 to 1993. Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Poland has been careful with relations with Moscow.
Poland was eager to accept NATO’s proposal to house U.S. anti-missile systems on its territory, according to the newspaper. The deployment of American anti-missile systems has always been considered as a threat to Russian interests by Moscow.
Despite Russia’s outrage over the deployment of U.S. nuclear weapons to NATO’s non-nuclear states, the Alliance said its nuclear arrangement is consistent with the Non-Proliferation Treaty signed by all countries that own nuclear weapons.
“It is Russia that has started to use its nuclear weapons as a tool in its strategy of intimidation. Russia has increased nuclear rhetoric and stepped up its nuclear exercises. Russian nuclear-capable bombers are flying close to Alliance borders. Russia has also threatened to base nuclear-capable missiles in Kaliningrad and Crimea,” NATO’s official statement said.
Poland denies wanting U.S. nuclear weapons
It is the first time that Poland has ever voiced an official intent to house U.S. nuclear weapons on its soil. However, the Polish Defense Ministry issued a statement on Sunday denying that Warsaw wants access to NATO’s nuclear weapons, according to RT.
The statement said that the minister’s words were misquoted, and that Poland is “not engaged in any work aimed at joining NATO’s nuclear sharing program. The comment by the deputy minister should be set in the context of recent remarks made by serious Western think-tanks, which point to deficits in NATO’s nuclear deterrent capability on its eastern flank.”
Former Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said that rumors about Poland’s possible participation in NATO’s nuclear-sharing program had tainted the country’s image.
“The last few days have become a great pity for Poland’s credibility. The world is looking at us. If we continue to hold a debate on access to nuclear weapons, the allies will not lend even a PlayStation, let alone serious weapons,” Siemoniak said.
The news come as Russia is seeking to build military ties with Pakistan, a nuclear-powered country, as reported by ValueWalk. The move also appears to be a response to India, Pakistan’s traditional rival, buying more weapons from the U.S.
In August, ValueWalk reported that there were signs of the emergence on a new superpower axis in the world – a triangle between Russia, China and Pakistan.
Both China and Russia see the U.S. as a challenge to their interests, while they believe it is in their best interests to stop U.S. global dominance. Pakistan, meanwhile, has no significant disagreements with the U.S., but it would not mind to ensure its own safety under the wing of the Chinese and Russians.
ValueWalk reported on Saturday that Russia is now fully prepared for a nuclear war with NATO with this cutting-edge flying command center capable of maintaining full control over Russia’s armed forces in case of a global disaster or nuclear war.
NATO vs Russia nuclear war ‘likely’ – analysts
With Russian President Vladimir Putin warning NATO of “serious consequences” for shooting down the Russian fighter jet last week, analysts believe that the Kremlin is willing to unleash a nuclear war over the incident.
Despite the fact that Turkey is backed by NATO’s 5th Article, it is highly unlikely NATO member states are going to risk the lives of their troops and their military equipment to save Turkey, according to ValueWalk citing analysts of Russia & India Report.
That assumption alone means the chances that Putin is going to test NATO’s resolve and start a nuclear war over the incident are very “likely,” according to Pavel Felgengauer, Russia’s top defense analyst, as reported by ValueWalk.
And in case Putin starts a war with NATO, the only way the Russians could win a war against NATO is by going nuclear, Felgengauer noted.
“It is most likely that it will be war,” said Felgenhauer, as reported by ValueWalk, citing Mirror. “In other words, more fights will follow when Russian planes attack Turkish aircraft in order to protect our [Russia’s] bombers. It is possible that there will be fights between the Russian and Turkish navies at sea.”
