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    Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
    Poland

    Polish defence minister slams opposition leader over anti-German rhetoric

    “The threat is from the east, not the west—and that’s worth reminding PiS politicians,” Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters, referring to Kaczyński’s right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party.

    He said the party’s anti-German rhetoric was harmful to Poland’s security.

    Poland, a member of both the European Union and NATO, borders Germany to the west and Russia to the east—a geography that has often shaped its turbulent history.

    Kaczyński, a former deputy prime minister, told a party convention in the southern city of Katowice on Friday that Poland risked what he called a “German-Brussels option,” in which the European Union could become a “hegemonic superstate” undermining the national sovereignty of its member states.

    He argued that postwar European developments amounted to “a great victory for Germany and the creation of a kind of new empire,” and claimed that “the Germans, together with the French, want to take Poland’s sovereignty away,” while “the Americans do not.”

    Jarosław Kaczyński: kluczowe tematy to bezpieczeństwo, sprawy społeczne i gospodarka Jarosław Kaczyński. Photo: PAP/Art Service

    Kosiniak-Kamysz countered that “for the first time in modern history” Poland faced a threat “from only one direction—the east,” and that this should be the focus of national security policy.

    He warned that public sentiment in Poland was being inflamed “on several fronts,” including anti-Ukrainian, antisemitic and anti-German attitudes, calling all three “very dangerous for Poland’s security.”

    Kosiniak-Kamysz also said PiS was using anti-German sentiment for political purposes.

    “The party’s obsession with constantly talking about Germany is surprising,” he said.

    He noted that Germany remains Poland’s largest trading partner and said the government would continue to seek compensation from Berlin for World War II, but added that “a practical form of compensation also means investment in the security of Poland and Europe.”

    Kosiniak-Kamysz further condemned recent anti-Ukrainian rhetoric by the right-wing opposition, saying that helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s invasion was both a moral duty and a matter of national interest.

    (gs)

    Source: PAP

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