Poland’s main ruling party leader announced Thursday that his nation’s government will seek roughly $1.3 trillion in war reparations from Germany for the actions of the Nazis during World War II.
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the Law and Justice party, made the announcement following the release of a report that calculated the damages the Polish people suffered as a result of the German occupation, according to a report.
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“We not only prepared the report, but we have also taken the decision as to the further steps,” Kaczynski said. “We will turn to Germany to open negotiations on the reparations.”
Negotiations will be “long and not an easy path,” he said.
The move comes 83 years after the beginning of World War II, and the damages are based on losses to infrastructure, industry, farming, culture, and deportations, among other categories.
“Germany has never really accounted for its crimes against Poland,” Kaczynski said, adding Germany is able to pay the bill and that this “true Polish-German reconciliation” is based on “truth.”
The German position is that compensation was levied out to former East bloc nations following the war, according to the report.
That position is “unchanged,” Germany’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said Thursday, noting that the “question of reparations is concluded.”
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“Poland long ago, in 1953, waived further reparations and has repeatedly confirmed this waiver,” it said. “This is a significant basis for today’s European order. Germany stands by its responsibility for World War II politically and morally.”
The head of the report team said about 5.2 million Polish citizens died during the World War II era occupation.
