WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish authorities have refused to invite a Russian delegation to a commemoration ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.
Krzysztof Szczerski, an aide to the Polish president, said on Wednesday in comments carried by the Polish news agency PAP that Russia has not been invited to the events in September due to its aggressive actions in Ukraine.
Russia has been slapped with various international sanctions for its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014 and ongoing support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Szczerski said the anniversary ceremonies will be held “in the company of countries with whom Poland cooperates closely now for peace that is based on the respect for international law, for sovereignty of nations and of their territory.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry late on Wednesday said in a statement that it was “bewildered” by the snub, and accused the Polish government of rewriting history to suit its political agenda.
“Despite the critical contribution of our country to defeating Hitler’s Germany and liberating Poland from Nazi invaders, there is no place for Russia there,” the statement said.
Some Polish opposition politicians voiced their disagreement over the right-wing government’s decision to snub Russia.
Former Prime Minister Leszek Miller, an ex-Communist who is now running for the European Parliament, said on Polsat TV that “it is hard to talk about World War II without mentioning the armed effort of the Soviet Union.”
“If this is going to be a sign that they are not inviting him as punishment, then the Kremlin would only shrug,” Miller said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was then the prime minister, traveled to Poland for anniversary observances 10 years ago and made a speech at the Westerplatte peninsula, in Gdansk, where the war began with Nazi Germany’s invasion Sept. 1, 1939. The visit took place despite the fact that Russia’s relations with Polish authorities of the time were tense. In an effort toward improving them, Putin and Poland’s then-prime minister, Donald Tusk, held talks.
On Sept. 17, 1939, the Soviet Red Army invaded Poland, carving it up jointly with Germany, an act that is still seen in Poland as a stab in the back.
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