Poland abandons claim for WW2 reparations from Germany
Poland has decided to cease its demands for reparations from Germany for the Nazi atrocities committed during World War II, according to Prime Minister Donald Tusk. This announcement was made on Wednesday following discussions with new German...
TroibNews 
Poland has decided to cease its demands for reparations from Germany for the Nazi atrocities committed during World War II, according to Prime Minister Donald Tusk. This announcement was made on Wednesday following discussions with new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Warsaw.
Demands for compensation had previously been revived by the conservative Law and Justice party, which governed Poland from 2015 to 2023. In 2022, Polish officials assessed that reparations from Germany would amount to 6.2 trillion Polish zloty due to the devastation caused by the Nazi regime.
During a joint press conference with Merz, Tusk commented on the reparations issue, stating: “Has Germany ever compensated for the losses, the tragedy of the Second World War in Poland? No, of course not.”
He further elaborated, “I am a historian… I could talk for hours about what this bill looks like. It was never repaid, but we will not be asking for it.”
In response, Merz asserted that “the legal issues related to possible reparations have been resolved,” while emphasizing, “this does not mean that we cannot talk about joint projects and common ideas about how we see a future together.”
Relations between Poland and Germany had soured under former Chancellor Olaf Scholz, primarily due to disputes over reparations, migration, and other matters. While Germany acknowledges its historical responsibility for the crimes committed by the Nazis, it has consistently rejected the idea of paying reparations to Poland. Germany argues that this issue was settled when Poland relinquished its restitution rights in 1953 through an agreement with East Germany, and was further resolved by the 1990 treaty concerning German reunification.
The German invasion of Poland in 1939 initiated the Second World War, and the country endured Nazi occupation until its liberation in 1945 by the Soviet Army and local forces.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
Demands for compensation had previously been revived by the conservative Law and Justice party, which governed Poland from 2015 to 2023. In 2022, Polish officials assessed that reparations from Germany would amount to 6.2 trillion Polish zloty due to the devastation caused by the Nazi regime.
During a joint press conference with Merz, Tusk commented on the reparations issue, stating: “Has Germany ever compensated for the losses, the tragedy of the Second World War in Poland? No, of course not.”
He further elaborated, “I am a historian… I could talk for hours about what this bill looks like. It was never repaid, but we will not be asking for it.”
In response, Merz asserted that “the legal issues related to possible reparations have been resolved,” while emphasizing, “this does not mean that we cannot talk about joint projects and common ideas about how we see a future together.”
Relations between Poland and Germany had soured under former Chancellor Olaf Scholz, primarily due to disputes over reparations, migration, and other matters. While Germany acknowledges its historical responsibility for the crimes committed by the Nazis, it has consistently rejected the idea of paying reparations to Poland. Germany argues that this issue was settled when Poland relinquished its restitution rights in 1953 through an agreement with East Germany, and was further resolved by the 1990 treaty concerning German reunification.
The German invasion of Poland in 1939 initiated the Second World War, and the country endured Nazi occupation until its liberation in 1945 by the Soviet Army and local forces.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
