Poland is "ready" to welcome nuclear weapons on its territory, President Andrzej Duda declared.
"Russia is increasingly militarizing the Königsberg (Kaliningrad) region. Recently, it has moved its nuclear weapons to Belarus," Duda said in an interview published Monday by the Polish newspaper Fakt.
"If our allies decide to deploy nuclear weapons within the framework of nuclear separation on our territory to strengthen the security of NATO's eastern flank, we are ready to do so," Duda told the popular newspaper.
The statement provoked a reaction from Moscow. "The Russian army will take the necessary measures to guarantee national security if Poland receives nuclear weapons, the Kremlin announced, Tass reports.
Since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, President Vladimir Putin has made secret nuclear threats to the West, even hiding nuclear weapons in Belarus, which borders NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
Duda admitted that nuclear weapons have also been the subject of talks between Poland and the US "for some time".
"I have spoken several times about this. I have to admit that when I was asked I expressed our readiness," he said.
"We are an ally of the North Atlantic Alliance and we have obligations. It simply means the implementation of a common policy", Duda said.