(Photo : Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Polish troops stand in formation at the headquarters of NATO Multinational Corps Northeast prior to the visit of a foreign dignitary on February 02, 2024 in Szczecin, Poland. NATO Multinational Corps Northeast is in command of NATO forces across Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland.
Poland has formally submitted it's request to house NATO nuclear weapons, according to a report, as concerns over Russian retaliatory aggression grow.
The alliance's nuclear sharing program allows the US to deploy its nuclear weapons in NATO countries that do not have their own.
"Poland has declared its readiness to participate in this program, this statement of readiness has not been withdrawn," Polish Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski told Polish TV.
He said Poland has submitted an application for participation in the program, Sputnik International reported.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki first declared Poland's interest in hosting nuclear weapons under NATO's nuclear-sharing policy last June, the International Institute for Strategic Studies reports.
The Polish president deemed that the action was necessary as "Russia is increasingly militarizing the Kaliningrad region" and moved some tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus in 2022.
The Kremlin has warned Poland to reconsider its move to accept nuclear weapons on its territory.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said this week that Russian military authorities would "take the necessary steps to guarantee the security of the state."
