“Here began the German hatred that went through all of Poland and Europe ... We call it war, because we don’t know what else to call those crimes. It was a huge wave of destruction, ”Steinmeier quoted TASS as saying.
He stressed that the Germans will always remember their responsibility for the genocide in Poland.
“Those who believe that this part of the story was marginal are mistaken. This cannot be forgotten. We accept the responsibility that our history gives, ”said the German president.
During commemorative events, Steinmeier, together with Polish leader Andrzej Duda, honored a minute of silence for the first victims of World War II.
Earlier, the ex-leader of Poland, Lech Walesa, condemned the refusal of the Polish authorities to invite the Russian President Vladimir Putin to Warsaw to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.
At the same time, the Polish Foreign Ministry explained this decision as a mismatch of Russia's position to “historical truth”.
In turn, the Kremlin emphasized that such events cannot be considered complete without the participation of Russia.