Thursday 6 October 2022 03:19 AM Poland seek to house US nuclear warheads to deter Russia trends now
Amid growing fears that Russia could resort to nuclear warfare in Ukraine, Poland has requested to share US atomic weapons.
White House officials told The Guardian that they were 'not aware of the issue being raised' while experts have widely suggested that the gesture was purely symbolic.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) largest member from the former Warsaw Pact, has been the most vocal in bolstering the alliance's eastern flank.
'The problem, first of all, is that we don't have nuclear weapons,' Polish president Andrzej Duda said in an interview with the Gazeta Polska newspaper.
'There is always a potential opportunity to participate in nuclear sharing.
'We have spoken with American leaders about whether the United States is considering such a possibility. The issue is open.'
Amid growing fears of Russian nuclear warfare Poland President Andrzej Duda (pictured) has requested to share US atomic weapons
Vladimir Putin (pictured) hinted that further escalation in Ukraine may involve arms that haven't been used in war since 1945
The US bomb, 'Little Boy,' the first nuclear weapon used in war, was dropped on Hiroshima at 8.15am local time on August 6 1945 (pictured)
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February - its rule over more than 15 percent of Ukraine - roundly rejected as illegal
Duda emphasized that while he would like to host the weapons he did not want to take ownership over them.
'This would not be a nuclear weapon under the control of Poland. Participation in nuclear sharing does not imply having your own nuclear weapon,' he said.
He added that it is his belief that Poland's long-term goal would be to 'strengthen its security.'
The Polish president's announcement is the latest example of nuclear signaling as the US and its allies seek to deter Vladimir Putin from launching the first nuclear attack in more than 70 years.
Putin hinted that further escalation in Ukraine may involve arms that haven't been used in war since 1945 and before invading Ukraine, demanded NATO roll back to positions it held in 1997.
The US bomb, 'Little Boy,' the first nuclear weapon used in war, was dropped on Hiroshima at 8.15am August 6, 1945.
It wiped out 30 percent of the city's population and flattened a 4.7 square mile area, leaving another 80,000 residents of the city injured when it exploded with the force of 16 kilotons of TNT.
On that day in 1945 between 90,000 and 146,000 people died in Hiroshima after the city was hit by an atomic bomb.
In April, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Poland's government 'has recently caused deep concern.'
'The line is extremely militant, anti-Russian, and the proposed actions, of course, can only lead to a further increase in tension on the continent,' he said to Prime state news agency.
A replica of the devastating Hiroshima bomb (pictured) shows the enormous nuclear weapon that wiped out 30 percent of the city's population
A huge pyrocumulus, or firestorm-cloud, engulfed the city of Hiroshima after the US atomic bomb attack (pictured)
