Lech wants nukes for Poland

Polish anti-communist icon and Nobel Peace laureate Lech Wałęsa said Poland should procure nuclear weapons as a safeguard against Russia.

Lech Wałęsa

EU and NATO member Poland has been rattled by Russia's actions in Ukraine, including its March annexation of the Crimean peninsula and suspected backing of rebels in the east.

Lech told the Rzeczpospolita daily, "Poland needs to stand up to Russia. Putin has been trying to intimidate us with his nuclear weapons, so why shouldn't we have our own arsenal?"

No explanation necessary

Wałęsa, who as leader of the Solidarity trade union negotiated a peaceful end to Communism at home in 1989 went on to say, "We should borrow, lease nuclear weapons and show Putin that if a Russian soldier poses one foot on our land uninvited, we will attack. Just to be clear."

It is under his administration as the first Polish President in the post Soviet era the last Russian troops left Poland in 1993. Six years later the country joined the NATO defense alliance. 

Several countries including Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey currently host shared nuclear weapons on their territory under NATO.