Poland should have demanded WWII reparations from Russia – FM — RT World News

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski questioned why the previous government in Warsaw had not formally demanded World War II reparations from Russia. He claimed that Polish compensation claims should have been settled by the Soviet Union, but the money was never transferred.

In an interview with TNP Radio on Thursday, Sikorski claimed that after World War II, it was agreed that Poland would receive 15% of the refunds that were owed to the Soviet Union, even though the Soviets “Take it away.”

“I would like to know why the Law and Justice government did not turn to Russia as the legal successor to the Soviet Union for these reparations.” He said.

Poland has made increasing calls for compensation under Jaroslaw Kaczynski's conservative Law and Justice party, which ruled the country between 2015 and 2023. Warsaw insists it was never properly compensated for the damage it suffered at the hands of Nazi Germany. The Soviet Army, in cooperation with local forces, liberated Poland from the Nazis in 1945.

While stressing that the current Polish government still expects some form of compensation from Germany, Sikorski admitted on Thursday that the issue of reparations from Berlin had been settled many years ago.

“I would like to remind you of this Minister [Anna] In response to a parliamentary question, Fotyga admitted that Poland had already been granted reparations in Potsdam, in the treaty signed at the end of World War II. Sikorsky said.

In 2022, the Polish government estimates that Berlin must pay €1.3 trillion ($1.4 trillion) for damage caused by the Third Reich.

Berlin responded that its World War II obligations were comprehensively settled under the 1990 treaty that paved the way for German reunification during the final years of the Cold War. It also argued that Warsaw had waived the right to reparations under the 1953 agreement with East Germany.

Commenting in September 2022, Polish President Andrzej Duda said Warsaw should similarly demand reparations from Russia as a successor state to the Soviet Union, adding that he saw “There's no reason why we can't pursue it.”

Shortly thereafter, the Polish War Casualties Institute announced that work on the Russian reparations campaign was continuing, and pledged to submit a full report within three years.

Commenting on Duda's proposal, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov described it as further evidence of Warsaw. “Fever Russophobia.”

Peskov explained that Russia does not take Polish demands seriously. He joked that Russia had grievances with Poland dating back to the 16th century, referring to the “Time of Troubles,” when Russia was briefly occupied by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.