Poland claims $1.3 trillion in losses from World War II and expects compensation from Germany.
The head of Poland’s ruling nationalists stated on Thursday that the country values the losses it suffered from Germany during World War II at 6.2 trillion zlotys ($1.32 trillion), and that Warsaw would formally request compensation.
Germany, which is Poland’s largest trading partner and a fellow member of the EU and NATO, has previously declared that all financial issues relating to World War Two have been resolved.
Poland’s latest estimate surpasses a ruling party lawmaker’s 2019 projection of $850 billion. Since coming to office in 2015, Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has made numerous demands for compensation, although the country has not formally requested reparations.
“The sum that was presented was adopted using the most limited, conservative method, it would be possible to increase it,” Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Law and Justice (PiS), told a news conference.
Relations with Berlin have deteriorated as a result of PiS’s aggressive approach to Germany, which it frequently uses to inspire its supporters. After Russia invaded Ukraine, it became more intense in response to criticism of Berlin’s reliance on Russian gas and its tardiness in providing aid to Kyiv.
Six million Poles lost their lives throughout the war, three million of whom were Polish Jews, and after an uprising in 1944 that claimed the lives of roughly 200,000 civilians, Warsaw was completely destroyed.
Requests for reaction from the German Foreign Office and government were not immediately answered.
Donald Tusk, leader of Poland’s biggest opposition party Civic Platform, said on Thursday that Kaczynski’s announcement was “not about reparations”.
“It’s about an internal political campaign to rebuild support for the ruling party,” he said.
Although PiS continues to top most opinion polls, its lead over Civic Platform has shrunk in recent months due to criticism of how it has handled rising inflation and the decline in the economy.
