In return for defense funding from the German state budget, Poland would take responsibility for NATO’s eastern flank, Karol Nawrocki said during a meeting with constituents on Friday, describing the proposal as “fair.” Germany has repeatedly insisted that the question of direct reparations is closed, pointing to a 1953 agreement signed by the Polish communist authorities. However, the German government has signaled its openness to making amends in other, more limited ways. While Nawrocki said his defense funding idea had been “met with understanding” last year by Chancellor Friedrich Merz and claimed Berlin is aware it must pay reparations, there is no suggestion that Germany is on board with his proposal. “If they are really committed to the development of the Polish armed forces, and the whole EU is, then we can begin this process with German investment, with funds from the German state budget for equipment for the Polish army and for NATO’s eastern flank,” Nawrocki said. “That is fair.” The nationalist president’s statements came just hours after he vetoed a bill unlocking billions in low-cost EU loans under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative, prompting accusations that he is putting Poland’s security at risk. ‘Traitor, coward, liar’ While not unexpected, the veto deepened a serious rift with Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist government and sparked fury among the ruling camp. Senior government officials branded Nawrocki a “traitor” for the move, while Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski labeled him a “coward” and a “liar.” Sikorski also accused the president of putting domestic political allegiances ahead of the national interest, portraying the head of state as subservient to Jarosław Kaczyński, the powerful chairman of conservative opposition party Law and Justice (PiS). PiS backed Nawrocki in his presidential campaign, in which he persistently played the nationalist card, drawing on emotive issues including World War II reparations. €1.3 trillion claim Under the 2015-2023 PiS-led government, Warsaw presented Berlin with a war reparations bill of €1.3 trillion. The German government insists the matter was closed in 1953 when Warsaw’s then-communist authorities waived any claims. PiS and others argue that the waiver was invalid as Poland was not a sovereign state at the time and acted under duress from Moscow. Friday’s statements by Nawrocki were not the first time he has suggested Germany should pay for Poland’s defense. Shortly after coming to office, the Polish head of state met his German counterpart, Frank Walter Steinmeier, after which he said the reparations issue should be resolved “for our common security across the entire eastern flank." He added at the time that it was “a necessity, on the one hand for Poland, on the other hand for Germany, and... a duty for the entire European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance.” Plan B The reparations issue has remained thorny and highly politicized in Poland, where the political right plays on national resentment over Germany’s wartime occupation. One of the accusations leveled against the SAFE mechanism by the Polish right, which often portrays Tusk as being too close to Berlin and the EU, is that it is anti-Polish and designed to benefit Germany. Tusk’s administration has vowed to enact a ‘Plan B’ to implement the EU funding for Poland’s defense needs. Plan B is likely to involve government decrees to bypass presidential approval, though full details have not been made public. Additional reporting from Michał Zdanowski.
