Speaking at commemorations on the Westerplatte peninsula in the northern city of Gdańsk, Nawrocki said he "unequivocally" demanded war reparations from Berlin.
His remarks echoed a long-standing push for compensation by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, which governed Poland from 2015 to 2023 and is now in opposition.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who also addressed Monday's ceremony, called for strength, unity and close alignment with allies.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and parliamentary Speaker Szymon Hołownia also attended the event, where leaders urged solidarity with NATO and Europe and reaffirmed support for Ukraine, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Nawrocki linked the roots of the 1939 war to ideas circulating in late-19th-century Germany and cited Adolf Hitler’s August 22, 1939 exhortation to Wehrmacht officers.
He said 15 Polish defenders died in the initial attack at Westerplatte and added that remains of soldiers were found by archaeologists eight decades later, which he said restored their dignity.
Building “good relations” with Germany, he added, depends on settling reparations.
“To build partnership … we must finally resolve the issue of reparations from the German state, which, as president of Poland, I unequivocally demand,” he said, urging the government to amplify his stance.
He also warned of “reviving neo-imperialism” in Russia and noted that Poland is now part of the EU and NATO, working with partners including Germany, “the perpetrator of World War II.”
Tusk called Westerplatte a “sacred place” and said Poland must never again be an easy target.
“The best way to defeat an opponent is without war,” he said, urging Poles to be “strong, wise and united,” to know “who is an enemy and who is an ally,” and to stand with a united Europe and NATO.
“Poland must never be alone. Poland must never be weak,” he added.
Kosiniak-Kamysz said society "must never become accustomed to war" and pointed to civilian deaths in Ukraine.
Supporting Ukraine, he said, is a matter of Poland’s national interests, adding that each day Russia’s army is worn down “gives us strength and time” to prepare and protect Polish soldiers.
'Authorities should act, not just talk'
Separately on Monday, Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk told public broadcaster Polish Radio he hoped compensation issues would reach a “happy conclusion."
He questioned, however, why Nawrocki "does not also seek reparations from Russia" and asked what the populist-conservative Law and Justice (PiS), which backed Nawrocki in the presidential race, did on reparations while in power.
He said such matters should be separated from politics and that “authorities should act, not just talk.”
'Poland morally entitled to reparations,' but 'legally the case is hopeless': FM
Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski wrote on X: "The government believes that while Poland is morally entitled to reparations for German crimes during World War II, legally the case is unfortunately hopeless. But we will be rooting for the president’s initiatives to produce results.”
In a separate post, he added: "I am puzzled, however, why the nationalist side is not demanding reparations from Russia, which appropriated the compensation awarded to Poland at Potsdam. Interesting.”
At 4:45 a.m. on September 1, 1939, the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened fire on a Polish military depot at Westerplatte, marking the first battle between Polish and German troops in World War II.
Polish forces under Maj. Henryk Sucharski held out until September 7.
According to various sources cited at the event, 210 to 240 Polish soldiers fought to defend the facility; 15 died and about 30 were wounded.
German losses are estimated at about 50 dead and 120 wounded.
(jh/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, trojka.polskieradio.pl