New Polish President will again demand reparations from Germany over World War II - Politico

The new President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, is likely to demand reparations from Germany for World War II again during his visit to Berlin on September 16. This is not the first time he has raised this issue, and his demands could negatively affect relations between Warsaw and Berlin – at a time when European countries need unity in the face of the threat from Russia. This is reported by Politico, transmitted by UNN.

Details

The publication notes that this is not the first time the new President of Poland has demanded that Germany pay reparations for the country's occupation by the troops of the Nazi German regime during World War II.

Moreover, the demand for reparations is one of the main ones for the right-wing conservative Polish political movement "Law and Justice," on whose platform Nawrocki was elected. Conservatives name a figure of at least 1.3 trillion euros, and 54% of Poles support the demand for reparations from Berlin.

"Nawrocki largely embodies the kind of Polish populism that most annoys Merz (German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, - ed.) and his allies," the article says.

Polish presidential spokesman Rafał Leszkiewicz confirmed that Nawrocki would "raise this issue" during the visit. How Merz will react to this is still difficult to predict.

"The President of Poland plans to meet with Merz, as well as with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. No press conferences are planned, which limits the possibilities for an open display of discord," the publication notes.

At the same time, on the other hand, the White House is "undermining" the unity of the allies by demonstratively ignoring Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and maintaining contacts exclusively with Nawrocki. Although the president's position in Poland is "somewhat ceremonial."

Despite the fact that the Polish president may be useful to European leaders due to his good relations with Trump, it is unlikely that European leaders will do anything that would undermine Tusk's position – who, by the way, abandoned the "PiS" demands for reparations when he became prime minister.

Recall

On September 1, in Gdańsk, during the celebrations dedicated to the anniversary of the beginning of World War II, Nawrocki stated that the issue of reparations from Germany allegedly remains key to historical justice and the country's modern security.