Overview
- President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the reparations question is legally settled from Germany’s perspective, according to his spokeswoman.
- Polish President Karol Nawrocki raised the issue in Berlin and argued it is not legally closed, reiterating a claim of about €1.3 trillion.
- Despite opposing positions, talks at Schloss Bellevue were described as friendly and constructive, and Steinmeier accepted an invitation to visit Poland.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged that Germany stands “firm and unbreakably” with Poland and increased Eurofighter jets for air policing from two to four after recent Russian drone incursions.
- Germany cites a 1953 Polish renunciation as the legal basis, while a PiS-commissioned report set the €1.3 trillion figure, and a recent poll reported majority support in Poland for reparations.