The damage that Germany inflicted on Poland during World War II is said to amount to more than 1.3 trillion euros. Warsaw now wants to get Israel on board when it comes to enforcing reparation payments. After all, many Polish victims are of Jewish origin, according to Poland's prime minister.
Poland wants to include Israel in talks with the German government about its demand for reparations for the damage caused by Germany in World War II. First of all, the government in Berlin will be approached with a diplomatic note, Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told the "Spiegel". "We want to hold talks in Berlin and also invite representatives of Israel - after all, half of the Polish victims were citizens of Jewish origin."
Last week, a parliamentary commission in Warsaw submitted an expert report in which the damage caused by World War II in Poland was estimated at more than 1.3 trillion euros. At the same time, the chairman of the national conservative governing party PiS, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, renewed the demand for compensation payments. The federal government rejects the demand for reparations. In doing so, she refers to the Two Plus Four Agreement of 1990 on the foreign policy consequences of German unity.
Poland's prime minister also renewed his criticism of the German government's stance on the Ukraine war. It is disappointing that the Germans have realized their mistakes in energy policy so late, Morawiecki told the "Spiegel". "Ukraine repulsed the enemy faster than the Germans made decisions."
With a view to the agreed ring exchange of armaments, Morawiecki said Poland had delivered weapons worth well over two billion dollars to the neighboring barland, including 300 tanks and other heavy equipment. "Berlin's hesitation, inaction, seriously questions the value of the alliance with Germany." He also hears this from many other heads of government in Europe.
The idea of ring exchange came up shortly after the beginning of the Ukraine war. The aim was to supply Ukraine with heavy weapons as quickly as possible. Since the Ukrainian armed forces do not need additional training for Soviet systems, initially supplying such weapons seemed the quickest way. In return, the countries that have them should receive Western makes from other NATO partners with a time lag. However, the federal government's negotiations with Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Greece turned out to be problematic.
