Ankit Panda, Vipin Narang, and Pranay Vaddi | War on the Rocks
It is no coincidence that Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland openly raised the possibility that his country may need to arm itself with nuclear weapons. Both major parties in South Korea are doing the same. This is a response to what is happening in Washington, where the Trump administration is renovating America’s post-World War II grand strategy, tossing aside hard-built alliances, norms on global trade, and much else... If Trump wants to pursue a grand strategic project with the goal of keeping ‘America First’, nuclear nonproliferation — not just by adversaries but also by allies — is an essential pillar.
Natalia Ojewska | Bloomberg
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk signaled his country may seek access to nuclear weapons as he issued a warning that Europe could face war with Russia in the next few years. Tusk told parliament in Warsaw on Friday that his country is in “serious talks” with France over President’s Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to use his country’s nuclear capabilities to defend European allies.
Hyung-Jin Kim | The Associated Press
North Korea unveiled for the first time a nuclear-powered submarine under construction, a weapons system that can pose a major security threat to South Korea and the U.S. State media on Saturday released photos showing what it called “a nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine,” as it reported leader Kim Jong Un’s visits to major shipyards where warships are built. The naval vessel appears to be a 6,000-ton-class or 7,000-ton-class one which can carry about 10 missiles… The use of the term “the strategic guided missiles” meant it would carry nuclear-capable weapons.
Reuters
Iran would consider negotiations with the U.S. if the aim of the talks was to address concerns regarding any potential militarization of its nuclear program, Iran's U.N. mission said on Sunday in a post on X. The comment came a day after the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran will not negotiate under U.S. "bullying". In the post on X the mission said: "If the objective of negotiations is to address concerns vis-à-vis any potential militarization of Iran’s nuclear program, such discussions may be subject to consideration."
Reuters
The Kremlin on Thursday condemned what it called a highly confrontational speech by French President Emmanuel Macron in which he called Russia a threat to Europe and said Paris would consider putting other countries under its nuclear protection. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the French leader's comments, in an address to the nation on Wednesday, were an indication that Paris was looking to prolong the war in Ukraine.
Gideon Rose | Foreign Affairs
As the second Trump administration rapidly dismantles crucial elements of the postwar international order, it seems not to have considered some obvious possible consequences of its actions—such as the triggering of a new round of nuclear proliferation, this time not by terrorists or rogues but by the countries formerly known as U.S. allies… If the liberal order falls, the nonproliferation regime would fall with it. And the powers rushing for nukes then would be newly orphaned friends of the United States who are no longer convinced they can rely on American security guarantees, and might even have to fear American coercion.