Will the US deploy nuclear weapons on NATO's eastern flank?

The Financial Times reported on the U.S. administration’s readiness to deploy bombers capable of carrying nuclear payloads. The daily cites three individuals familiar with the progress of the talks, noting that they are confidential and that there is no certainty as to whether they will lead to changes in nuclear sharing agreements. They are a response to concerns from European partners regarding limitations on the number of American troops in the region and the withdrawal of essential weapon systems. The initiative would involve the deployment of Dual-Capable Aircraft (DCA) in these countries, which are capable of conducting nuclear strikes.

According to two cited sources, Poland and some Baltic states have expressed interest in hosting the bombers. The paper recalled that Polish authorities had previously declared their willingness to have American nuclear weapons stationed on their territory. Former President Andrzej Duda appealed to the United States to expand the DCA initiative to include Poland. Furthermore, this year Warsaw decided to join a French initiative aimed at exploring the possibility of temporarily transferring part of Paris’s nuclear deterrent potential to allied European states.

Currently, under U.S. nuclear sharing, nuclear-capable DCA are stationed in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. They primarily serve a deterrent function, and the final decision to use the weapons rests with Washington. Should the initiative be expanded, the use of the weapons would operate on the same principle.