President commemorates Battle of the Bulge

On the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Counteroffensive, Polish President Andrzej Duda paid his respects to those who fought on the Western Front during WW2, during ceremonies in Belgium and Luxembourg. Duda called Poland's invitation to the ceremonies a gesture that honoured Polish soldiers who fought in the battle. Accompanied by King Philippe of Belgium, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper, Duda took part in observances commemorating the Allied victory. Speaking to journalists, Duda noted that the battle was the last offensive of Hitler's Nazi German army in the WW2. "Some historians claim it was a mad idea, but the fact is that thousands of German soldiers were engaged in it, as well as an enormous amount of military equipment, above all, the most modern German tanks of the time." Duda added that the meeting of western European leaders and the US defence chief, together with veterans, was aimed at honouring the memory "of those soldiers who fought here, then, for a free world, for a free Europe."