President: We have nothing to repay anyone today. It is we who deserve to be paid a great deal of money

It is impertinent to claim that we Poles and Poland owe anything to anyone in relation to World War II. We did not start it; we did not inflict the damage. We were the victims — said President Andrzej Duda after signing a bill to rebuild the Saxon Palace, which was demolished by the Germans in 1944, after all fighting in the Warsaw Uprising had ceased.

President Andrzej Duda on Sunday signed a law on the reconstruction of the Saxon Palace, Brühl Palace and the buildings in Królewska Street in Warsaw. The ceremony took place on Sunday at the Presidential Palace.

As the President stressed: Poland and Poles were the victims of the Second World War.

Today we are rebuilding Saxon Palace and we must return it to Warsaw and Poland. But we do not have to return anything to anyone else today. And we do not owe anything to anyone else. It is we who are entitled to a great deal of money for the losses we suffered during the Second World War; our entire nation, and our towns and villages. This is what is still left to be fulfilled.

— he remarked.

He added that „it is impertinent to say that we, Poles and Poland owe anything to anyone in relation to World War II”.

We did not start it, we did not cause the damage; we were the victims.

— said Duda.

Experts estimate that during World War II, the Germans caused human and material damage in Poland amounting to the present USD 850 billion.

Tłum. K.J.