Poland's leaders on Sunday stressed the need for a strong defense in the face of war in neighboring Ukraine as they led solemn ceremonies to mark the 85th anniversary of Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland, starting World War II.

Polish President Andrzej Duda and deputy ambassador of Germany, Robert Rohde, attended a ceremony in the town of Wielun — the first civilian target of German bombing in the small hours of September 1, 1939.

The brutal German occupation of Poland, from 1939 to 1945, killed more than 6 million Poles, of which 3 million were Jewish.

The country also suffered huge losses to its infrastructure, industry and agriculture.

Duda renews call for German reparations

Duda told the audience: "We can say that we have forgiven even though we remember, even though the pain is persisting and even though there are still tens of thousands of those who have been directly hurt by the Germans."

"Forgiveness and acknowledgment of guilt are one thing, reparations for the damage is another," said Duda. "And this issue has still not been resolved," he said, adding that it "has been for 80 years if you count the Second World War period."

Duda comes from the ranks of the national conservative PiS, which led Poland from 2015 to 2023.

At the time, the PiS government had hurt relations with Berlin with anti-German rhetoric and demands for reparations totaling €1.3 trillion ($1.44 trillion).

Poland's current pro-EU government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk has toned down the demand for some form of compensation for losses sustained at the hands of Nazi troops.

Polish media have previously reported that Warsaw and Berlin are working on compensation to the living victims of Nazi Germany, with Poland estimating up to 70,000 people would be eligible.

Tusk warns over war in Europe

Meanwhile, at a monument on the Baltic Sea's Westerplatte peninsula, where a military outpost was shelled by a German warship just minutes after Wielun was attacked, Tusk and Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz laid wreaths and attended a memorial roll call for fallen soldiers.

Tusk reminded the attendees that war was present again in the region as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022, grinds on.

in a clear reference to Germany, he said it wasn't enough to speak about "reconciliation" or to "bend your head in a sense of guilt.

Tusk said the best sign of lessons learned from the past is "the readiness to organize the entire Western world, Europe and NATO for the defense against aggression that we are witnessing today in the battlefields of Ukraine."

"Today we do not say: 'Never again war'. Today we must say: 'Never again loneliness'. Never again in history must Poland stand up to the aggression of one or other of its neighbors alone."

Tusk also said Poland was building "the most modern army in Europe, one of the strongest in Europe" to actively contribute to NATO's unity and strength and "to defend our civilization" and "never again expose our homeland to any risks."

mm/rm (AFP, AP, dpa)