Poland is in active talks with France over participation in an "advanced nuclear deterrence system," Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed on 6 Feb. ahead of a cabinet meeting at which the matter was formally placed on the Council of Ministers' agenda.
The announcement follows a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron, who outlined a new vision for French nuclear deterrence that would extend to European allies, including joint exercises and the possible deployment of French strategic air units to partner countries. Alongside Poland, Macron named seven other states: Belgium, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Tusk said the consultations are not bilateral. "The matter is being discussed not only with France itself, but also with those countries that have simultaneously expressed readiness to cooperate and have been invited to participate in the project," he said.
The prime minister was direct about Warsaw's ambitions. "Poland will not want to be passive when it comes to nuclear security in the military context," Tusk said, adding that Poland intends to work with its allies — France in particular, as the country that made "this concrete offer" — while pursuing longer-term autonomy. "As our own autonomous capabilities grow, we will also seek to prepare Poland in the future for the most autonomous possible actions in this area," he declared.
Tusk said he expects to discuss the framework further in March at the Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris, where he will meet not only with Macron but with other European partners involved in the initiative.
In practical terms, the cooperation Macron envisions could involve hosting French strategic aviation on the territory of partner states, conducting joint exercises, and staging demonstrations of nuclear capability beyond France's borders — moves Paris frames as complicating adversaries' strategic calculations by dispersing assets across Europe.
Macron did, however, draw a clear line: the decision to use French nuclear weapons remains exclusively the prerogative of the French president. No co-decision mechanism is on offer for partner countries. The French leader has cited the deterioration of global arms control architecture as part of the rationale for strengthening deterrence.
