Polish President Andrzej Duda wants participants in the January conference at Israel's Yad Vashem to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin's claim that Poles cooperated with Hitler.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Sunday called Putin's accusation a lie that needed reinterpretation, Jewish News reports.
Krzysztof Szczerski, the head of Duda's Cabinet, is demanding a condemnation from participants of the World Holocaust Forum — the January 23 conference commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
Putin said last week that Poland had taken "the first step towards genocide" by entering into an agreement with Hitler and joining the partition of Czechoslovakia in 1938, and called the then-Polish ambassador to Germany, Jozef Lipski, "an antisemitic pig."
Read alsoUkrainian film agency to invest US$2.1 mln in "Babyn Yar" movie
Morawiecki in his statement published Sunday wrote that Putin "has lied about Poland on numerous occasions, and he has always done it deliberately. This usually happens when Russian authorities feel international pressure related to their activities."
Thirty state leaders, including Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron, this month will come to Israel for the World Holocaust Forum.
On the same day, there will be an official ceremony at the former death camp's memorial in Poland, and some of the world leaders will take part in both events. Putin is not scheduled to come to Poland.
Read alsoZelensky calls on Israel to recognize Holodomor as genocide of Ukrainian people
Duda's office has said it is waiting to see a detailed schedule for the Jerusalem conference before deciding whether the Polish president will attend.
