Donald Tusk has announced that Berlin has offered to send troops to help Warsaw cope with the devastating floods.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has urged citizens not to be alarmed if they see German soldiers arriving in their towns as the country continues to grapple with devastating flooding. This week's deluge has wreaked havoc across central Europe, killing at least 22 people and leaving a trail of destruction.
On Thursday, at a crisis meeting in the western city of Wroclaw, which has faced increasing flooding, Tusk said U.S. troops were already providing support to communities in southern Poland and that Turkey and Germany had offered similar assistance.
“If you see German soldiers, don’t be afraid. They are here to help.” Tusk said this, apparently suggesting that the arrival of German troops could trigger associations with World War II.
Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1939, triggering World War II. The occupation only ended after the Soviet Union's Red Army liberated Poland in 1945. During the occupation, Hitler's forces carried out a policy of genocide against the Polish civilian population, killing an estimated 6 million people in the country, most of whom were Jews.
Under the previous government, Poland repeatedly demanded reparations from Germany, and last year Warsaw insisted it had never been reimbursed for damages suffered at the hands of the Nazis. The Law and Justice (PiS) party has demanded around $1.5 billion in damages from Berlin.
German authorities rejected the request, insisting that the issue was resolved when Warsaw renounced its right to restitution in 1953 under an agreement with East Germany, and that the question was finally settled in 1990 under a treaty on German reunification.
In February, after the ruling party in Poland changed, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski announced that Warsaw would drop its demands for compensation. Tusk also stated at the time that the issue of World War II reparations was “closed” and it has been for “many years” in it “formal, legal and international sense.”
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