NATO Eyes Nuclear-Sharing Expansion to Poland, Baltic States

(MENAFN) Several NATO member states along the alliance's eastern flank — among them Poland and the Baltic states — could be drawn into an enlarged US nuclear-sharing framework under confidential discussions currently unfolding within the alliance, The Financial Times reported Tuesday.

The talks, which remain behind closed doors and may not ultimately yield any formal policy shifts, reflect deepening anxiety among European allies over the durability of US military commitments to the continent under President Donald Trump's administration.

According to the report, US officials have signaled a willingness to deploy dual-capable aircraft (DCA) — platforms capable of delivering nuclear weapons — to NATO members beyond the six nations currently enrolled in the alliance's nuclear-sharing arrangement: Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Türkiye, and the UK.

Such a move would broaden the number of allies authorized to host US nuclear-capable aircraft as a cornerstone of NATO's deterrence posture.

Poland and select Baltic states have already expressed appetite for hosting DCA bases, the report noted. Warsaw has been among the most vocal champions of an expanded US nuclear footprint in Eastern Europe — former Polish President Andrzej Duda having previously urged Washington to extend nuclear-sharing arrangements to Polish soil.

One anonymous source cited by The Financial Times said the expansion discussions were designed to signal Washington's enduring commitment to NATO's nuclear umbrella, even as allies face growing pressure to shoulder a greater portion of the alliance's conventional defense responsibilities.

Appetite for deeper nuclear arrangements has intensified across parts of the alliance since Russia launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022, compounded by repeated allusions by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Moscow's nuclear arsenal, the report said.

NATO's nuclear-sharing program — a relic of Cold War architecture — permits non-nuclear member states to participate in the alliance's nuclear planning processes, while operational control of US nuclear weapons remains exclusively in American hands.

The revelations surface as European allies scramble for firm reassurances over Washington's long-term security posture, following signals that the US intends to scale back troop deployments and redirect military assets to other strategic theaters.

Speaking in the wake of a NATO foreign ministers meeting last month, Secretary General Mark Rutte offered measured reassurance, saying there was a "common understanding" that while the US may focus more on other regions, "the overall deterrence and defence in Europe has to stay the same."

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