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European Council president to skip WWII memorial events in Poland

"I never impose my presence on anyone when I know that I’m not welcome," Donald Tusk said

WARSAW, August 31. /TASS/. European Council President and Poland’s former prime minister Donald Tusk said he would not take part in memorial events in Warsaw to mark the 80th anniversary of the beginning of World War II.

"I’m not going [to Warsaw], because I have no doubts that organizers of those important events are acting in a manner showing they are not eager to see me there. I never impose my presence on anyone when I know that I’m not welcome," he said in an interview with Poland’s TVN24 TV channel, aired on Friday night.

According to the European official, a formal invitation to the event was delivered to his workplace only on Thursday.

This year, the main events to mark the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of WWII will be held in Warsaw. Poland sent invitations to the NATO, EU and Eastern Partnership member-countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine). As many as 250 guests from 40 countries, including US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, are expected to attend them.

The Polish administration decided not to invite Russia to take part in these events, arguing that the Soviet Union was not involved in WWII on September 1, 1939. Warsaw also stated that it wanted to mark the anniversary with the countries it closely cooperates with now.

For his part, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that "any memorial events in any countries dedicated to the anniversaries of the Great Patriotic War or World War II cannot be considered full-fledged without Russia's participation," because Russia’s role in the Victory over Nazism cannot be overestimated.

A total of 600,000 Soviet soldiers lost their lives while liberating Poland from the Nazis who invaded the country in 1939.

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