At a moment some US officials and pundits are cavalierly talking about "already fighting WWIII" - Polish officials have announced that talks with the Biden administration are underway about the possibility hosting US nuclear weapons. President Andrzej Duda indicated that such nuclear-sharing as NATO's largest eastern European member, and which is just off Russia's doorstep, is now an "open" topic for discussion.
Crucially for the question of continued nuclear saber-rattling and confrontation with Russia, if Poland ever did host US-NATO nukes it would mark a huge first for a NATO member that was once behind the Iron Curtain.
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| President Biden with Polish President Andrzej Duda at the Presidential Palace on March 26 in Warsaw, via AP. |
"The problem, first of all, is that we don’t have nuclear weapons,” President Duda told Gazeta Polska newspaper in statements published Wednesday. "There is always a potential opportunity to participate in nuclear sharing."
He was quick to clarify, however, that under such a nuclear-sharing program "this would not be a nuclear weapon under the control of Poland. Participation in nuclear sharing does not imply having your own nuclear weapon."
But the Polish newspaper followed with...
After the interviewer pointed out that other countries which now have nuclear weapons began with nuclear sharing, Duda replied that, while this "must be viewed in terms of the distant future, I firmly believe that Poland will strengthen its security. That must be our long-term goal."
And according to a top Polish official, discussions with Washington along these lines are moving forward:
A senior diplomat in Warsaw said Duda’s comments could potentially include any of those activities. The diplomat, who declined to be named because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said hosting the weapons would be in the security interest of Poland, the region and all of Europe.
"We have spoken to American leaders about whether the US is considering such a possibility" of Poland sharing the weapons, Duda told the newspaper. "The topic is open."
Despite
Duda emphasizing the long-term future nature of the possibility of
Warsaw having US nukes, the mere discussion itself is likely to trigger
extreme alarm for the Kremlin, which for months has been strongly
denouncing Poland's "extremely militant, anti-Russian" stance and
policies.
🔴 Prezydent @AndrzejDuda na łamach jutrzejszej Gazety Polskiej mówi o udziale Polski w programie Nuclear Sharing.
— Gazeta Polska - w każdą środę (@GPtygodnik) October 4, 2022
Czytaj więcej na https://t.co/IaHOUFXhYX oraz wygodnej subskrypcji elektronicznej dostępnej na https://t.co/P6zoug9c6E #GazetaPolska #Duda #tygodnik #środa #media pic.twitter.com/5KZn2lIPsU
Further, Moscow officials on up to President Putin himself have continued to blast the expansion of NATO military infrastructure into Russia's backyard and up to its doorstep. This has been the persistent Kremlin justification for the Ukraine invasion from the beginning.
Just days ago, Ukraine's Zelensky reacted to Russia's annexation move against the four occupied eastern territories by declaring formal Ukraine application to NATO, and hope for an expedited process.
Sometimes I'm just so frustrated.
— Clint Ehrlich (@ClintEhrlich) October 3, 2022
We're on the brink of a third world war.
Do you not fucking get it? That we could ALL die?
That everyone you've ever loved, everyone you've ever cared about, could die over which fucking regions of the Soviet Union belong to Ukraine or Russia?
However, Ukrainian NATO membership becoming a reality anytime soon is extremely unlikely - given all 30 member nations of the alliance would have to consent. Hungary remains a prime example of a NATO country which would not approve, along with some others likely to fear more than anything else automatically triggering Article 5 with admitting Ukraine, and a hot war with nuclear-armed Russia.
(Article by Tyler Durden republished from Zerohedge.com)
