Poland Angrily Responds to Putin's Claims About Hitler and World War II

Newsweek ^ | Feb. 9, 2024 | Aila Slisco

[canuck_conservative]

... The Russian president argued that Poland was to blame for Hitler's decision to invade, claiming the Warsaw "went too far" by balking at the annexation of part of its territory.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski suggested in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Friday that Putin was "paranoid" and called it "shocking" that Carlson "enabled" the Russian president by giving him a platform to spread his false claims and rhetoric.

Sikorski .. also noted that Hitler was joined in invading Poland by the Soviet Union, which was an ally to Nazi Germany for nearly the first two years of the war...

According to a verified translation of Putin's remarks during the Carlson interview, the Russian president claimed that Poland "forced" Hitler to invade by being "uncooperative" with Nazi demands to take territories including Polish city Gdańsk, then known as Danzig.

"[Poland] rejected Hitler's demands," Putin said. "Since [Poland] did not give up the Danzig corridor, the Poles nevertheless forced him. They got carried away and forced Hitler to start the Second World War against them first." ...

Putin's claim that Hitler had "no choice" but to invade Poland is not supported by historical evidence.

According to The National WWII Museum, Hitler set the stage for the invasion by making "it look as if the Poles had provoked the hostilities and the SS obliged by staging numerous false-flag operations and 'Polish provocations' against Germans."

The Russian president's 2022 annexation of parts of Ukraine prompted some to draw parallels with Hitler's actions during the early days of World War II.

Notably, Hitler justified Germany's ambitions to take Gdańsk/Danzig by citing the large number of pro-Nazi German speakers in the city at the time, a similar argument to Putin's claims about Russian speakers in Ukraine's Donbas region....

[canuck_conservative]

Got that? According to doofus Putin, POLAND is responsible for starting WWII, because they didn't hand over land Hitler wanted

Typical thug gangster view of Life - "you didn't give me what I wanted, so now I'm forced to attack you"

Putin is a paranoid kook, spreading his Russian lies & propaganda with the help of people like Carlson

[Right_Wing_Madman]

In his interview with Tucker Carlson, Putin said he was surprised that Canada honored Nazis in their Parliament. How do feel about that?

[metmom]

Nevertheless the interview was worth watching.

Even though Putin is wrong, it was interesting to see HIS view of history. It gives some insight into where he’s coming from and why.

When he was going on about Russia, I couldn’t help but think back to the days of the old Soviet Union when they were claiming to be the first to invent anything. Revisionist history 101. I’m not surprised nothing has changed.

OTOH, it’s good that Poland has a chance to defend itself and set the record straight.

[Right_Wing_Madman]

Russians fought hard in WW2 because they knew that Germany was a genocidal regime that wanted all Slavs dead. You remind me of the same.

[antceecee]

Bookmark

[LeoWindhorse]

I thought that was a hug for crock of crap too. Putin, like our Democrats apparently believes his own propaganda . If he/ they say it, it must be true ...

[canuck_conservative]

This thread is about Putin’s idiotic comments about Poland

Don’t change the subject, like you Russo-stooges usually try to do whenever Putin looks bad

Try to stay on topic, if you can ...

[antceecee]

I am very careful not to join anyone’s bandwagon. My great grandfather emigrated in late 1800’s from Poland and his wife, my great-grandmother before him…escaping atrocities.

[antceecee]

Why not just answer the accusation? Why seek to silence discussion? You can call it a lie.

[canuck_conservative]

The more Putin opens his mouth, the more he reveals himself to be a complete doofus

Putin should just STHU

[antceecee]

Telling others to STHU accomplishes nothing. Like it or not, Putin is a world leader. You may hate this, but it is the reality. Trump does realise this and as in his previous presidency he extends his hand and ear to listening to the adversary. Trump is a true diplomat and peacemaker.

[canuck_conservative]

Telling Putin to STHU was for his benefit

Ok, let him talk more ... make him look even dumber than he already does!

[Reverend Wright]

Well, Poland wasn't in a strong position to demand that borders be sacrosanct and always respected, seeing as how they were in on the division of Czechoslovakia.

[Dr. Franklin]

What Putin said:
In 1939, after Poland cooperated with Hitler — it did collaborate with Hitler, you know —Hitler offered Poland peace and a treaty of friendship and alliance (we have all the relevant documents in the archives), demanding in return that Poland give back to Germany the so-called Danzig Corridor, which connected the bulk of Germany with East Prussia and Konigsberg. After World War I this territory was transferred to Poland, and instead of Danzig, a city of Gdansk emerged. Hitler asked them to give it amicably, but they refused. Still they collaborated with Hitler and engaged together in the partitioning of Czechoslovakia.

According to The Peace Treaty With Germany at Versailles, Poland's final borders were to be determined by the Allies. Poland had a dispute with Czecho-Slovakia over the Duchy of Cieszyn in Trans-Olza. The area in question had valuable coal mines and a rail junction. While the Poles were fighting the Soviets in 1920, the Allies awarded most of this to Czecho-Slovakia without a plebiscite. This was the only part of Habsburg Galicia not awarded to Poland. In 1938, after the French had refused to fight the Germans over Czecho-Slovakia, the Poles demanded it be ceded to them by the Czechs, which they did. The Germans weren't happy about it, and it can't fairly be called a partition of Czecho-Slovakia. The territory was quite small relative to the Czecho-Slovak state, and ethnically very Polish.

Putin also falsely stated that "In 1921, peace with Poland was proclaimed, and under that treaty, the right bank of the Dnieper River once again was given back to Poland." While it is true that this is what Lenin offered at the Peace of Riga, along with all of Belarus, under pressure from its Allies, Poland declined these lands. In fact, this is what Putin offered to Tusk, (minus Belarus) when he made an offer to partition Ukraine with him. This demonstrates how Putin thinks, and what boundaries he will accept of a rump Ukrainian state, but it is not historically true. Putin's history is just so much propaganda for the Russian masses. What Carlson accomplished with this interview is debatable.

[miniTAX]

“According to doofus Putin, POLAND is responsible for starting WWII”

Putin didn’t say that. Stop lying by removing parts of his sentence.

[Dr. Franklin]

Well, Poland wasn't in a strong position to demand that borders be sacrosanct and always respected, seeing as how they were in on the division of Czechoslovakia.

Hardly. See below. The Poles were always willing to fight the Germans to remove Hitler and Nazis. The French weren't interested. The Poles protected as many people as they could from the Nazis for another year, which should be commended. Why part of the Duchy of Cieszyn was ever given to the Czechs without a plebiscite was very controversial.

[Revel]

Putin gives his views. And the polish guy gives his. Then everyone figures out who to believe.

Exactly the way it is supposed to be.

[canuck_conservative]

Putin’s own words - “They got carried away and forced Hitler to start the Second World War against them first.”

Sure sounds like he’s blaming Poland

[alexander_busek]

Why not just answer the accusation? Why seek to silence discussion? You can call it a lie.

Because it is a distraction and a diversion from the actual topic at hand.

Because a despot like Putin invading peaceful neighboring European countries vastly overshadows any such other topic that you are attempting to sneak into the discussion.

Regards,

[Angelino97]

Russians fought hard in WW2 because they knew that Germany was a genocidal regime that wanted all Slavs dead.

Whereas Stalin believed that only he had a right to genocide Slavs (and others).