Poland Rejects Putin's WWII Responsibility Claim from Carlson Interview

Russian President Vladimir Putin sparked international controversy during a recent interview with Tucker Carlson by asserting that Poland was responsible for initiating World War II. The contentious claim, made without immediate challenge from the interviewer, has drawn sharp condemnation, particularly from Polish officials and historians.

During the extensive interview, President Putin stated, > "it was actually the Poles who started the Second World War by forcing Hitler to invade Poland (together with the Red Army)." This revisionist historical narrative suggests that Poland's actions directly precipitated the Nazi invasion that marked the beginning of the global conflict in September 1939.

The interview segment quickly garnered attention for its lack of critical questioning, with the original tweet noting, > "There was no pushback on these statements from Tucker during the interview." This approach allowed Putin's historical interpretation to be presented largely unchallenged, leading to widespread criticism from media observers and political analysts.

In response, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) issued a strong rebuttal, unequivocally rejecting Putin's assertions. The MFA highlighted that Poland consistently refused Adolf Hitler's demands and proposals for an alliance against the Soviet Union. Historical consensus firmly establishes that Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, followed by the Soviet Union's invasion on September 17, 1939, in accordance with the secret protocols of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

Historians widely dismiss Putin's claims as a deliberate distortion of historical facts, often employed to serve contemporary political agendas. Experts like Professor Anita Prazmowska of the London School of Economics have characterized the accusation of Polish collaboration as "nonsense," emphasizing that diplomatic contacts should not be conflated with initiating the war. Such historical revisionism is frequently seen as an attempt to justify current geopolitical actions and shift blame for past events.