Poland: No decision yet on whether to host nuclear weapons

ATHENS - Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Sunday (28/4) that no decision had been taken to host nuclear weapons on Polish territory.

Speaking to Canadian television station CTV, Andrzej Duda said: "I don't know anything about the decision, so I responsibly say there is no such decision, but we express our readiness."

"Because we can see that Russia is dangerous again, that Russia is deploying its nuclear weapons towards the west," he added.

Against this background, the security of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) must be consolidated by moving important defense installations to alliance members in Eastern Europe.

However, Duda noted that the final decision on the matter would be made jointly by NATO allies, but this was not the case at this time.

"There has been no decision in this matter. I would like to deny all claims that some decision has been taken in this regard. I did not take part in taking any decision," he said.

Last week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that if the US decided to deploy nuclear weapons in Poland, Moscow would consider them a "legitimate target" in the event of a direct confrontation with NATO.

NATO's nuclear sharing arrangements aim to ensure that the benefits, responsibilities and risks of nuclear deterrence are shared across the alliance.

Since November, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey have hosted B-61 nuclear weapons provided by the US as part of the arrangement.