Russia: Poland’s talks on hosting US nuclear weapons ‘dangerous’

Russia says upcoming talks in Poland to possibly host US nuclear weapons in the country pose a real threat to the nation.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said Thursday he and the prime minister were scheduled to hold talks on May 1.

Duda said he had invited Donald Tusk for talks on deploying nuclear weapons from NATO states in the country.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on the same day that announcing the talks on hosting NATO nukes was a provocative gesture by the Polish government.

By escalating the tensions, the Russian official said, Duda and Tusk were pushing the nation into a “very dangerous game.”

"If they follow the path of further escalation - and this is how the discussions can be assessed, these so far verbal games with nuclear weapons - then a further round of tension will occur. And in general, this game is very dangerous, its consequences may be hard to predict," the senior Russian diplomat warned.

The Kremlin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov also responded to Duda's declaration. "This game is very dangerous, and its consequences may be unpredictable."

He said Russia's Defense Ministry will "analyze the situation... and take all the necessary retaliatory steps to guarantee our safety."

On the same lines, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said any US nuclear missiles in Poland could become targets in the event of a Russia-NATO war.

"It is not difficult to assume that if American nuclear weapons appear on Polish territory, the corresponding objects will immediately join the list of legitimate targets for destruction in the case of direct military conflict with NATO."

In the meantime, Duda has reiterated his position that Poland would be ready to host American nukes, prompting Tusk to say he would like a clarification from the president.

Since entering office in December, Tusk, a centrist, has embarked on a series of reforms and a purge of staff associated with the former nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party. That has sparked backlash from Duda, a former PiS member who was brought to office with the party’s backing and who has offered presidential pardons to jailed PiS lawmakers.

However, on matters pertaining to Poland’s military, Duda and Tusk appear to be following the same pro-US policies.

“It’s obvious to me that we must speak with one voice and that our aspirations must be the same. We want Poland to be as safe as possible,” Duda said.

The Polish prime minister, according to the country's laws, is responsible for government decision-making, while the president is the head of state and supreme representative of Poland internationally.

To allow US nuclear weapons to be deployed in the country, it would require new laws and approval by both officials.

Meanwhile, Poland is not only a NATO and European Union member, but it also has a long history of war and violence with Russia. The war in Ukraine has plunged the already deteriorated relations between Russia and Poland, Ukraine's largest neighbor on its western border, to its lowest levels.

Belarus declares receipt of Russian nukes, vows use if attacked

Belarusian president declares the delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to his country, vowing to use them if attacked by the US-led NATO military alliance.

Also on Thursday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, announced that dozens of the Russia's nukes deployed in the country were in place and ready for combat.

Last year, Russia deployed its tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, which borders Poland, as a signal of deterrence to the West.

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