Polish PM tells people not to panic over German soldiers

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 deal with devastating floods. The deluge this week has wrought havoc across central Europe, reportedly killing at least 22 people and leaving a trail of destruction.  

Speaking on Thursday at a crisis meeting in the western city of Wroclaw, which has faced rising floodwaters, Tusk stated that US troops were already providing support to communities in southern Poland and that Türkiye and Germany had offered similar assistance.  

“If you see German soldiers, please do not panic. They are here to help,” Tusk said, apparently suggesting that the arrival of German troops could trigger associations with World War II.  

Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1939, sparking World War II. The occupation ended only after the Soviet Union’s Red Army liberated Poland in 1945. During the occupation, Hitler’s forces pursued a policy of genocide against the Polish civilian population, ultimately killing some 6 million people in the country, most of whom were Jewish. 

Under its previous government, Poland made repeated calls for reparations payments from Germany, with Warsaw insisting last year that it had never been properly reimbursed for the damage suffered at the hands of the Nazis. The Law and Justice Party (PiS) demanded some $1.5 trillion in compensation for damages from Berlin.  

German authorities dismissed the request, insisting that the matter was resolved when Warsaw waived its right to restitution in 1953 under a deal with East Germany, and that the issue was definitively 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 be dropping its compensation demands. Tusk also stated at the time that the issue of World War II reparations was “closed” and has been for “many years” in the “formal, legal, and international sense.”