Poland would “welcome an EU nuclear superpower,” Jarosław Kaczyński, head of Poland’s ruling party, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in an interview published February 7. Kaczyński also called for the EU to “be prepared for huge expenditures” on its military.

Kaczyński made his remarks to the German newspaper before a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Reuters noted that Kaczyński “wields no government posts now but is seen as the main power broker in Poland.” Reuters also noted that Mr. Kaczyński appears to be changing his views of Germany. He has in the past been “deeply distrustful of Germany” but now appears to view Germany more positively. According to the Telegraph, “it is thought” that Kaczyński “may have pressed [Merkel] on the issue” of nuclear weapons during the meeting.

In general, Poland wants the EU to give more power to the member states. But when it comes to the military, it wants the EU to be a superpower that can help defend Poland against Russia.

Kaczyński’s comments on nuclear weapons come as Germans themselves debate whether they need their own nuclear umbrella—now that they can no longer trust America to defend them. Since United States President Donald Trump’s electoral victory in November 2016, articles on the subject have appeared with increasing frequency in the German press. On February 2, Germany’s ard—a public broadcaster—called for an “open debate” on a “German nuclear bomb.”

Although “unpopular and sensitive,” this subject has “become relevant earlier than expected, in view of the new man in the White House,” it said.

Yesterday, Bild, Germany’s most popular newspaper, asked, “Is It Time for Germany to Become a Nuclear Power?”

The Trumpet has long warned that fear of Russia would push Europe to unite. Now Poland is overcoming its longstanding suspicion of Germany in an effort to gain German protection. To read about where this is leading, see our article “Who Will Defend Eastern Europe?” from the March 2017 issue of the Trumpet magazine.