Many historians have dismissed suggestions that Poland was to blame for Hitler’s invasion and consider the country to be one of the major victims of the Second World War.
Speaking to The Guardian after Mr Putin made similar remarks in August, Slawomir Debski, director of the Polish Institute of International Affairs, said: “Putin is saying that annexation of the Baltic states, aggression on Poland, aggression on Romania, on Finland, all of this was not a big deal, a natural part of history, and that is a problem.
“We should ask ourselves why we commemorate all these historical events. Not because these politicians are historians. We do it to send a message to our contemporary society about what is right, and what is wrong.”
