Looking ahead, the goal is to secure a cross‑party push in both chambers of the U.S. Congress urging Germany to compensate Poland for wartime losses, as announced by Deputy Foreign Minister Arkadiusz Mularczyk.
Impact of a U.S. visit
Mularczyk, who oversees Germany-related reparations among other duties, spoke on Polish radio about his recent trip to the United States.
He described more than 20 meetings in Washington and New York, starting with conversations with 13 members of Congress and a broad range of senators from different parties.
During these discussions he presented a detailed report about Poland’s wartime losses and the history of reparations that have not been delivered.
At the State Department he met with Acting Assistant Secretary of State Dereck Hogan and with representatives from U.S. think tanks.
To senior leaders on Capitol Hill and at the State Department, he outlined the history of World War II and the losses Poland incurred that remain unaddressed in the United States.
He also noted a meeting with the UN Deputy Secretary‑General responsible for human rights, presenting a report on wartime losses, analyses, and legal advice in this area, and stressing that Poland has never received compensation and that Polish citizens continue to face discrimination.
Mularczyk stated that the trip marked the first step toward building cooperation with both the U.S. Congress and the United Nations on a matter of high importance to Poland.
Polish expectations
Asked whether a U.S. speech on reparations should be anticipated, Mularczyk cited several senators offering support and highlighted an invitation to work with the Polish‑American group in Congress led by Ms. Marcy Kaptur. He added that many lawmakers represent Polish communities, so grassroots pressure could influence outcomes.
His view is that the aim is to secure a bipartisan majority in both the Congress and the Senate and to prepare a resolution backed by Republicans and Democrats urging Germany to compensate Poland for wartime losses.
Mularczyk emphasized the strategic objective of broad cross‑party support in Washington and noted that such a consensus would bolster negotiations with Berlin.
Germany’s stance and Polish elections
The question of whether Germany’s position is shifting was raised. Germany’s approach has been seen by Poland as aiming to place the issue before the Polish public ahead of elections, hoping for a post‑election change in power that could defuse or shelve the dispute.
Polish reparations efforts
On September 1, 2022, Poland presented a report detailing losses suffered during German aggression and occupation in World War II. On October 3, Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau submitted a diplomatic note to Germany demanding compensation for material and immaterial losses, with a claimed total in the billions of Polish zloty and additional compensation for damage.
In early January, the Polish Foreign Ministry announced that Germany had responded, asserting that the reparations issue is closed and that there is no plan to reopen negotiations.
On January 10, Mularczyk announced a renewed effort to secure support from the U.S. Congress—from committees, senators, and representatives—in favor of compensating Poland for war losses.
On January 13, the Polish ambassador to the United Nations, Krzysztof Szczerski, met with the UN General Assembly president, Csaba Kőrösi, and handed him a letter seeking a discussion on German reparations. The letter was also delivered to UN Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres for awareness and potential action.
Additional coverage highlighted the growing interest from U.S. lawmakers in Poland’s reparations report and the concerns over Germany’s stance, underscoring a political dynamic that intertwines Poland’s foreign policy goals with domestic political considerations in both countries.
— This material is presented with attribution to official Polish government and parliamentary sources as context for the ongoing dialogue surrounding reparations.