Poland's Kaczynski slams Germany's 'dominance' in Europe
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland's ruling conservative Law
and Justice (PiS) party, has sharply criticized what he called German
"dominance" in Europe, saying that Berlin today wants to use peaceful
methods to implement plans it once tried to execute by military
means.
This, he said, is a path that leads to crisis and disaster — affecting not only Poland but all of Europe, including Germany.
While delivering a speech in southwestern Poland on Saturday,
Kaczynski said Europe's strength lies in the strength of its sovereign
states, reported the Polish news agency PAP.
The 73-year-old Polish politician has been increasingly using
anti-German rhetoric in recent months, straining the already prickly
relations between Poland and Germany over the past few years.
What's the current state of Germany-Poland ties?
In September, he presented a report looking into the financial
damages caused by Germany's invasion and occupation in World War II,
reigniting a debate about demanding reparations.
The war in Ukraine
has also prompted criticism of Germany from Warsaw, which blames Berlin
for strategic errors, including an excessive reliance on Russian energy
and being too slow to provide weapons to Ukraine.
The defense ministers of both countries recently agreed to station the German Patriot air defense systems in Poland to protect its airspace. But shortly afterward, the Polish minister irked Berlin by asking it to deliver the missile defense system destined for Poland to Ukraine instead — a suggestion Germany rejected, saying that the batteries are only to be deployed within NATO.
What's behind the anti-German rhetoric?
Kaczynski is currently traveling across the country to bolster
support for his party ahead of parliamentary elections slated for next
year.
Some political observers and opposition parties say the ruling
party's anti-German and euroskeptic rhetoric is at least partly related
to the election campaign.
But according to a survey published on Saturday by the SW Research Institute on behalf of daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita, many Poles are not in favor of the PiS policy toward Germany.
The survey found that half of the participants viewed Warsaw's
anti-German stance negatively, while some 19% approved it. About 30%
expressed no opinion on the subject.
