Polish leader says Germany aims to dominate Europe

The leader of Poland's ruling right-wing Law and Justice party (PiS), Jaroslaw Kaczynski, has accused Germany of seeking to dominate Europe.

Germans today want to achieve by peaceful means what they once set out to achieve through military force, Kaczynski said on Saturday in the southern Polish town of Legnica.

However, the strength of Europe lies in the diversity and sovereignty of the individual member states, he said.

A situation in which the second largest EU country seeks to dominate Europe "is a path to crisis and disaster," the PiS co-founder said.

This concerns Poland and Europe, as well as Germany, Kaczynski said.

The 73-year-old Kaczynski holds no government office, but he is considered an influential player in Polish politics.

Poland will elect a new parliament next autumn, and the current PiS government's ratings have plummeted recently in the face of high inflation.

Kaczynski is likely trying to win over voters with anti-German rhetoric at his appearances throughout the southern Polish district of Lower Silesia.