Poland renews call for German WWII reparations at Westerplatte ceremony

Poland's president has renewed a call for Germany to settle the issue of World War Two reparations during a pre-dawn commemoration at Westerplatte, near Gdansk. Karol Nawrocki made the appeal on Monday as Poland marked 87 years since Nazi Germany invaded the country on 1 September 1939. The ceremony took place at the peninsula on the northern edge of Gdansk, a site closely associated with the opening of the war.

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Mr Nawrocki said he was appealing to the German chancellor and the German nation to resolve the issue with historical justice in mind and with the future in mind. He said a true and firm alliance with Poland required compensation from Berlin and its neighbours. He also said any money received should be directed to the Polish armed forces and the Polish arms industry, so that Poland would not need to rely on Western loans.

The remarks revive a long-running dispute between Warsaw and Berlin over wartime losses. Poland's previous nationalist government, which was in office from 2015 to 2023, demanded €1.3 trillion in reparations for destruction caused during almost six years of occupation. The current government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk has not pursued that figure, but it has not ruled out seeking some form of compensation.

In 2024, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski called on Germany to think creatively about a form of compensation or redress. Germany has long treated the issue as closed, citing Poland's 1953 renunciation of further war reparations. Polish officials dispute that position, arguing that the renunciation was made by communist authorities at the time and should not be considered final.

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The disagreement remains one of the most sensitive issues in Polish-German relations, even as both countries remain tied through the European Union and NATO. The timing of the speech also linked the wartime commemoration to present-day security concerns. During the same ceremony, Mr Tusk said unity among Western allies was needed and warned that evil was once again lingering behind Poland's border, in a reference to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

He said the coming months could be crucial for Ukraine's independence and for the security of Poland and the wider free world. Polish leaders gather each year on 1 September at Westerplatte to mark the start of the war in Europe. The site is remembered for the defence mounted there at the beginning of the German invasion, and it remains a symbolic location in Polish historical memory.

What remains unclear is whether the latest appeal will lead to any new formal talks with Berlin or any change in Germany's position. For now, the dispute continues to sit alongside broader questions about security, alliance commitments and historical responsibility.

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