Bilateral relations at a low ebb: Many Poles accuse Germany of complicity in the war

Bilateral relations in the low
Many Poles accuse Germany of complicity in the war

By Andrea Sellmann and Mary Abdelaziz-Ditzow
03/23/2023, 4:08 p.m

Poland has sharply criticized Germany: With our proximity to Russia, the Federal Republic at least helped prepare the ground for Putin’s war of aggression. This thesis is a heavy burden on bilateral relations – especially now.

From Rzeszów it is still around 100 kilometers by road to the Ukrainian border. The war is particularly close there: because the airport has turned the city in the Polish foothills into a hub for western military aid. Support for Ukraine is widely accepted among the Polish population. The country now also wants to deliver fighter jets to Ukraine. Germany, on the other hand, is far too hesitant when it comes to arms deliveries, according to criticism from Poland. And that’s by no means all that the country criticizes about its neighbors.

With our proximity to Russia, we would have prepared the ground for Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine in the first place, according to Poland’s accusation. Instead of taking seriously the warnings from Central and Eastern European countries about the militarization of Russia, Germany has made itself dependent on Russian gas – and has relied on a strategic partnership with Putin for far too long.

Piotr Buras heads the Warsaw office of the “European Council on Foreign Relations” and knows the Polish insider’s perspective very well. In his experience, many people in Poland even have the feeling that “the Germans also helped cause this war,” says Buras in the podcast “Wirtschaft Welt & Weit”. He observes that this criticism is also growing in liberal circles that have hitherto been positive about Germany. Buras therefore paints a bleak picture of bilateral relations: “The German-Polish relationship is definitely in trouble.” For many people in Poland, Germany simply failed to send clear signals to Russia and thus show Putin its limits in good time.

Poland has become more important on the world stage

What is certain is that Poland’s geopolitical importance has increased enormously as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. With a border of more than 500 kilometers to Ukraine, the country plays a central role in securing NATO’s eastern flank. It also has by far the largest contingent of troops there: According to its own statements, NATO had already stationed 11,600 soldiers in Poland in the summer of 2022. There were also 122,500 Polish forces. And: US President Joe Biden has visited the country twice in just a few months to discuss Ukraine’s future. However, he left out Paris and Berlin.

Poland’s head of government Mateusz Morawiecki knows about his country’s position: “Without the interference of the USA – and perhaps also that of Poland – there would be no Ukraine today,” said the national conservative politician a few days ago during a visit to Heidelberg. In a keynote speech, he spoke out clearly in favor of a “Europe of nation states”.

In addition to the EU, Germany also clearly felt the Polish self-confidence. Morawiecki insisted on reminding his hosts of demands for reparations amounting to 1.3 trillion euros – as compensation for the destruction that Germany caused in Poland during World War II.