The leaders of France and Poland discussed on Monday holding joint exercises as part of a French-led initiative aimed at engaging allies in nuclear deterrence, Politico reported, citing UNIAN.
“Among the issues we will consider will be information sharing and joint exercises“, French President Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference in the Polish port city of Gdansk in response to a question about France's cooperation with Poland on nuclear issues.
The publication noted that France is the only nuclear state in the European Union. Macron had previously spoken of “a new stage in French deterrence“. It explains that this is a historic change that will include strengthening the role of other European countries in deterrence, starting with participation in nuclear exercises.
According to the material, Poland, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden are joining cooperation within the framework of the so-called “forward deterrence“.
The publication notes that Poland, which does not participate in the US nuclear weapons sharing program, is interested in strengthening European deterrence against Russia.
“We decided to join the group of countries invited by France for cooperation. This is an exclusive group that includes countries that understand the need for European sovereignty. "We live in a world where we need nuclear deterrence," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
As the publication notes, France firmly believes that ultimate control over the use of its nuclear weapons should remain with Paris. At the same time, discussions are continuing regarding the future deployment of French nuclear-armed warplanes on the territory of allied countries.
“Frankly speaking, deploying Rafale jets with nuclear bombs over Poland is not my dream, but I hope you have no such plans“, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told Macron.
According to the French president, his team will discuss options with his Polish colleagues to launch operations “in the coming months“.
As the article states, the Polish prime minister praised France's readiness to defend Poland's eastern borders, especially those with Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
Tusk did not rule out the possibility of France participating in the defense of the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, which plays a key role in the delivery of weapons and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
France and Poland are reportedly signed agreements to deepen defense ties in space and military planning. Poland plans to acquire a French military telecommunications satellite by the end of this year.
The Macron administration announced that the defense ministers of the two countries will also present a bilateral defense cooperation plan for the period 2026-2028, aimed at expanding joint military activities and coordination.