The meeting was the first of its kind in six years as Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk attempts to mend ties with his German counterpart.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk met in Warsaw to discuss security and Poland’s eastern border for the first time in six years.
After the meeting Tusk reiterated to reporters that Germany should be a leading country in “reference to European and Polish security.”
Scholz has previously said that Germany would take co-responsibility for the border -which Poland shares with Belarus and Russia- through investment into infrastructure and security needs.
“The security of Germany and Poland is inextricably linked. This means that Poland’s security is also Germany’s security,” Scholz said.
Tusk welcomed this declaration, however criticised generally European countries for not taking steps to ensure the continent’s joint security.
Poland has recently increased its defence spending to 4.12% of its GDP, beating NATO’s 2% target and making itself the highest defence spender per capita in the European Union.
During the meeting, Scholz also pledged to “take measures to support the surviving victims of the German attack and occupation in the years 1939-45” in Poland and to “strengthen remembrance and commemoration of our painful shared history” by commemorating the Polish victims.
Repairing relations
The meeting was the first time the two countries held governmental talks since 2018.
Relations stalled after Poland’s right-wing Law and Justice government adopted a hostile attitude toward Berlin, accusing Germany of excessive influence on European Union decision-making.
The party-led by Jarosław Kaczyński-also demanded some €1.3 trillion in reparations for the losses that Nazi German occupation caused Poland during World War II.
Tusk’s government, which took office in December, is taking steps to mend the ties with various European allies.
His efforts come as Europe experiences a surge for eurosceptic right- wing parties after the first round of parliamentary elections in France saw gains for the far-right Rassemblement National.
