Contrary to prior anticipations, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz did not announce an initiative to pay Polish citizens victimized in World War II by the Nazi regime during a press conference on Tuesday with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
“There is no such gesture that would satisfy Poles, there is no sum of money that would offset all that happened during World War II. And here there is no dispute between us either,” Tusk said on Tuesday.
Scholz said Germany would “endeavor to provide support for the victims” without offering specifics.
The plan would come following the previous Polish administration led by the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which had demanded $1 trillion in war reparations, a request Germany dismissed, citing previous agreements between the two countries following the conclusion of the Second World War.
The delay in a decision reportedly derives from German legislative concerns about the size of the payment and the potential for other European countries to make similar demands.
Tusk denied disappointment in the delayed decision, saying that “these are all steps that go in the right direction” and that “the future will show whether my expectations and hopes are based on solid foundations.”
