Poland opposes Germany on permanent UN Security Council seat

Poland has opposed Germany gaining a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Thursday.

The proposal, made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, is “rather strange and a great disappointment” from Poland’s point of view,  according to Blaszczak.

Kiev seems to have forgotten that Germany did not initially come to Ukraine’s aid at the beginning of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, he said.

Blaszczak said that Germany should first take responsibility in its relationship with Poland for the destruction caused during the World War II.

“The demand for war reparations that we made to Germany is still valid,” Blaszczak said.

Zelensky spoke out in favour of a permanent seat on the UN Security Council for Germany on Wednesday.

There are 193 UN member-states.

Five countries – the U.S., China, Russia, Britain and France – have permanent seats on the security council and can veto all decisions.

There are then 10 non-permanent members elected to two-year terms.

In October 2022, Poland’s national conservative PiS Government demanded Berlin to pay 1.3 trillion euros (1.38 trillion U.S. dollars) in World War II reparations in a diplomatic note.

However, Germany rejects any demands for reparations.

It considers the case closed due to the 1990 Two Plus Four Treaty, which regulated the foreign policy aspects of German unity.