German President Says Poland’s WWII Reparations Have No Legal Standing

(MENAFN) German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier told Polish President Karol Nawrocki on Tuesday that Germany considers Poland’s World War II reparations demands to have no legal standing.

Following their meeting in Berlin, Steinmeier’s spokesperson shared on social media that the two leaders discussed a range of topics, including global affairs, bilateral ties, and Poland’s push for reparations.

"Regarding the Polish President's demand for reparations, President Steinmeier emphasized that from Germany's perspective, this issue has been legally and definitively settled," said Cerstin Gammelin.

She added that both leaders also addressed the growing threat from Russia, expressing a shared commitment to continue backing Ukraine and reinforcing NATO’s eastern defenses.

The reparations issue re-emerged earlier this month during World War II remembrance events, when Nawrocki insisted that Germany must offer compensation as a foundation for honest and constructive relations.

“Poland, as a frontline state, as the most important country on the eastern flank of NATO, needs justice and truth and clear relations with Germany, but we also need reparations from the German state,” he said.

Poland has long sought compensation from Berlin—despite being a fellow EU and NATO member—for the devastation inflicted by Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

The topic gained renewed momentum under the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, which brought it back into public debate in 2017. While in power, PiS established a parliamentary commission that, in September 2022, calculated Poland's wartime losses at €1.3 trillion ($1.5 trillion).

However, Germany’s previous government dismissed these demands, insisting that the matter was resolved both legally and politically. Citing a 1953 agreement, they argue that Poland's then-communist regime renounced further claims under pressure from the Soviet Union.

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