Donald Tusk, Poland's prime minister (left), and Friedrich Merz, Germany's chancellor, during a news conference in Berlin on Monday. Photograph: Liesa Johannssen/BloombergModern German-Polish relations have had more reboots than the Spider-Man movie franchise, and Monday’s latest effort came as ties hit their lowest ebb in 25 years. Meanwhile, one in four Poles expresses an active dislike of the Germans, up 10 points in a decade. Merz (left) and Tusk at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, on Monday. Former Polish ambassador to Berlin Janusz Reiter sees a long-standing vicious circle on the German side: a lack of interest compounding a lack of knowledge of Poland.

Source: The Irish Times December 02, 2025 14:40 UTC