Speaking to the PAP, AFP and DPA news agencies on Thursday, Kosiniak-Kamysz said that NATO and the European Union should play distinct but complementary roles – NATO handling military command and operations, the EU focusing on economic development, defence industry supply chains and funding for national armies.
"The more Europe invests, the more seriously and respectfully America will treat us," he said.
Nuclear sharing within NATO
On the question of nuclear weapons, Kosiniak-Kamysz argued that "decisions should remain within the alliance framework."
He said Poland was "bound by various conventions" and welcomed what he described as French President Emmanuel Macron's "invitation to a nuclear umbrella," but stressed that "allied decisions" must govern any arrangements in the matter.
"We have nuclear sharing stemming from American and NATO provisions, so Poland should find its place within these formats," Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
Asked whether Poland would accept Germany acquiring nuclear weapons, he said all decisions relating to "nuclear impact should be presented within the framework of NATO" rather than through unilateral or bilateral action.
His comments came after Polish President Karol Nawrocki said last weekend that Poland "should consider developing its own nuclear weapons," citing Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine and Moscow's "imperial policy."
Germany has no nuclear weapons of its own and is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, relying instead on the NATO nuclear sharing mechanism, under which American warheads are stationed on European soil, including within the country.
The issue has gained added complexity since French President Emmanuel Macron proposed in spring last year extending France's nuclear umbrella to EU member states, amid concerns over the reliability of US security guarantees.
Kosiniak-Kamysz, who also serves as a deputy prime minister, praised German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for responding clearly to US President Donald Trump's calls to increase defence spending, and urged Spain, Italy and France to follow suit – "just as Poland, Germany and the Nordic countries have done."
(ał/gs)
Source: PAP