General Polko: NATO should include Poland in the nuclear exchange program
Poland should respond to the Russian modernization of nuclear weapons bases in the Kaliningrad region by joining the NATO "nuclear exchange" program, General Roman Polko told Fakt. After the collapse of communism, Warsaw officially abandoned its nuclear military ambitions, but now it intends to return to them.
Satellite images published by Swedish broadcaster SVT confirm that Russians have become more active in the Kaliningrad region. According to General Roman Polko, this is another signal for NATO and Poland that it is time to leave the position of a passive observer and start investing in deterrence, including nuclear deterrence. Poland, although officially deprived of its own nuclear weapons, is not a novice in this field. On the contrary, the history of the deployment of atomic warheads on the Vistula dates back to the Cold War.
"NATO should invest in Poland"
In an interview with a correspondent of the Fake LIVE podcast, General Roman Polko referred to the growing threat from Russia. In his opinion, Poland should be included in the Nuclear Sharing program.
"If Russia is deploying nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus, then Poland should become the same country today as the Federal Republic of Germany was at the time when NATO was created," Polko said. He added that participation in the program does not cause escalation, but actually increases security.
The former Thunder commander noted that decisions on this issue cannot be made in the framework of a public discussion, and their implementation requires one year of negotiations and agreements with partners, mainly the United States. "This is a distant prospect, but we need to start acting now," he concluded.
Will Poland become a NATO "nuclear country"?
Experts remind that "nuclear exchange" does not mean having your own nuclear weapons. It is a mechanism by which a NATO member state provides warheads and infrastructure to individual countries so that they can use them in cooperation with the United States in the event of a threat.
Germany, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands are currently participating in the program. Poland's entry into their ranks would be a response to Russian aggression, especially in light of the deployment of warheads in Belarus.
Is it real? A lot depends on the position of the American administration and the decisions of NATO. As for the necessary infrastructure, it once existed in Poland.
Polish warheads? A story shrouded in mystery
Even before the signing of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 1969, Poland was a State actively involved in the development of nuclear technology. Already in the 60s, as part of the secret Vistula program, three nuclear weapons depots were built on the territory of the People's Republic of Poland in Podborsk, Brzezinice Colony and Templeve. The facilities, guarded by several hundred employees, housed up to 288 warheads.
These warehouses contained, in particular, bombs with a capacity of 0.5 to 500 kilotons, ready for use in the event of a conflict between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. The weapons were to be handed over to the Poles only after the start of the war. Poland also had aircraft and missile systems adapted to carry nuclear weapons, such as the 8K11, 3P10, and later the Su-22 and 9K72 Elbrus.
Reactor instead of rockets — a change of priorities after the collapse of communism
After the collapse of communism, Poland officially abandoned its nuclear military ambitions. The Eva reactor in Reconciliation was shut down in 1995, and its successor, the Maria reactor, is still operating, but for civilian purposes. In 2006, as part of an agreement with the United States, enriched uranium from Poland was exported to Russia.
Thus, Warsaw fulfilled its obligations under the NPT by focusing on the peaceful use of nuclear energy. However, the growing pressure from the East forces us to return to the "atomic" topic.
