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Polish president urges readiness to defend western border amid dispute
(MENAFN) Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki has emphasized that the country must remain “ready to defend the western border” with Germany, a stance that prompted immediate pushback from government officials. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski responded, insisting that as long as Germany remains a member of NATO and the EU, it poses no threat.
Nawrocki made his remarks on Saturday during a ceremony commemorating the 1918 uprising against German rule. He recalled that Poles had experienced “severe German imperialism” during historical partitions, when “aggressive” measures were undertaken to “take away our culture and national heritage.”
Poland, he stressed, is “a national community open to the west, but also a national community ready to defend the western border of the republic.” Nawrocki, elected earlier this year with backing from the right-wing opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, added that “we must do everything we can to ensure that Poland remains Poland.”
Sikorski quickly countered, saying, “As long as Germany is in NATO and the EU, and is governed by Christian or social democrats, there is no threat to our western border.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also weighed in, framing the remarks as part of broader political divisions. He said they “reflect the essence of the dispute between the anti-European bloc… and our coalition. A deadly serious dispute… over our values, security, sovereignty. East or West.” Nawrocki retorted, “it’s hard to believe that we graduated from the same department – history.”
The PiS party, with which Nawrocki is aligned, has historically portrayed Germany as a threat to Polish sovereignty. In 2023, party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski warned that the EU was promoting a “German plan” aimed at the “annihilation of the Polish state.” Kaczynski has accused Tusk—whom he compared to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler—of orchestrating a “pacification operation” to undermine Poland’s independence and “turn us into farmhands for people from Western Europe, especially Germany.”
Underlying the rhetoric is historical memory of the brutal Nazi occupation of Poland during World War II, for which Warsaw has recently demanded up to $1.3 trillion in reparations. Berlin has rejected the claim, asserting that the matter is legally settled.
Nawrocki made his remarks on Saturday during a ceremony commemorating the 1918 uprising against German rule. He recalled that Poles had experienced “severe German imperialism” during historical partitions, when “aggressive” measures were undertaken to “take away our culture and national heritage.”
Poland, he stressed, is “a national community open to the west, but also a national community ready to defend the western border of the republic.” Nawrocki, elected earlier this year with backing from the right-wing opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, added that “we must do everything we can to ensure that Poland remains Poland.”
Sikorski quickly countered, saying, “As long as Germany is in NATO and the EU, and is governed by Christian or social democrats, there is no threat to our western border.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also weighed in, framing the remarks as part of broader political divisions. He said they “reflect the essence of the dispute between the anti-European bloc… and our coalition. A deadly serious dispute… over our values, security, sovereignty. East or West.” Nawrocki retorted, “it’s hard to believe that we graduated from the same department – history.”
The PiS party, with which Nawrocki is aligned, has historically portrayed Germany as a threat to Polish sovereignty. In 2023, party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski warned that the EU was promoting a “German plan” aimed at the “annihilation of the Polish state.” Kaczynski has accused Tusk—whom he compared to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler—of orchestrating a “pacification operation” to undermine Poland’s independence and “turn us into farmhands for people from Western Europe, especially Germany.”
Underlying the rhetoric is historical memory of the brutal Nazi occupation of Poland during World War II, for which Warsaw has recently demanded up to $1.3 trillion in reparations. Berlin has rejected the claim, asserting that the matter is legally settled.
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