“Poland’s Foreign Minister Demands WWII Reparations from Russia, Contingent on Germany’s Payment”

WARSAW – Poland can demand World War II reparations or indemnities from Russia, as the successor state of the Soviet Union. But that can only be done if Poland persuades Germany to pay a similar bill first.

This claim was expressed by Polish Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz. Germany has so far rejected Poland’s 1.3 trillion euro ($1.43 trillion) claim to Nazi occupation, arguing the issue was long ago resolved.

“We treat Berlin and Moscow in a different civilized way,” Polish Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz told the Financial Times in an article published on Tuesday (2/5/2023).

He explained, “Once there is going to be success with Germany, the next step is to launch such discussions with other oppressors.”

Under the leadership of Georgian dictator Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union liberated Poland from Adolf Hitler’s Nazi forces in 1945.

Subsequently, a communist government was formed and legitimized through the widely disputed 1947 elections. The Communist Party continued to rule until 1989. The Soviet Union itself collapsed in 1991.

Demanding reparations has been a key aspect of Polish foreign policy under the ruling right-wing Law and Justice Party (PiS).

Germany says it accepts moral responsibility for Nazi crimes and continues to make direct payments to Holocaust survivors in Poland.