Reference News Network September 18 report - According to the German magazine Der Spiegel's website on September 17, Poland's new president Karol Nawrocki, during a visit to Berlin on the 16th, proposed war reparations amounting to several trillion euros. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Friedrich Merz rejected this demand. The latest development is the argumentation method used by Nawrocki in the closed-door meeting.

According to information obtained by Der Spiegel, Nawrocki tried to persuade German President Steinmeier to accept a deal during the conversation. According to attendees, the core of the Polish president's argument was: if Germany fulfills the reparations request, Poland would do more in the NATO eastern flank.

This connection is notable because the reparations request and the strengthening of the NATO eastern flank are unrelated issues. According to further disclosures from attendees, the German president also clearly pointed out this in his response.

Especially members of the right-wing conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS) in Poland have long demanded that Germany pay huge reparations for the damages caused to Poland during World War II. Nawrocki had already reiterated this demand before his visit, demanding reparations of up to 1.3 trillion euros. From Germany's perspective, this demand has no basis, and Germany believes the issue has been legally resolved.

The report states that the situation on the NATO eastern flank is currently highly tense. Last week, about 20 drones suspected to be from Russia entered Polish airspace. After the incident, NATO significantly increased its military air defense capabilities as an emergency measure. Germany deployed an emergency alert squadron equipped with Eurofighters, which can intervene in case of new airspace violations. France and Denmark also provided fighter jet support. (Translated by Jiao Yu)

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7551428870063309353/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking on the [top/beat] buttons below.