Russia’s efforts to paint Poland as a perpetrator of World War II brought the European Commission to Warsaw’s defense on Wednesday.

But minutes later, Vĕra Jourová, the Commission vice president in charge of values and transparency, criticized Poland’s ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party for undermining the rule of law with its radical reforms of the country’s justice system.

The mixed messages show the Commission’s effort to avoid alienating Poland by showing it will support it against external foes, but to also rein in what Brussels sees as a dangerous erosion of the rule of law in Poland that could threaten the EU’s legal structure. Hungary was also condemned for attacking the rule of law and “dismantling media pluralism.”

The message on Russia was very clear. “The European Commission fully rejects any false claims that attempt to distort the history of the Second World War or paint the victims like Poland as perpetrators,” Jourová told the European Parliament. “Distortion of historical facts is a threat to our democratic societies and must be challenged wherever possible.”

But so was that on democratic standards. Jourová condemned recent moves by the Polish government to impose disciplinary measures against judges as potentially causing them “irreparable damage” and warned of the “chilling effect” of such steps.

“Any legislative development must comply with the requirements underpinning the EU legal order and should not lead to any further deterioration of the situation of the rule of law in Poland,” said the Czech commissioner.

Condemning Moscow

Jourová’s condemnation of the Kremlin will be positively received across the political spectrum in Poland.

Poland has borne the brunt of a series of historical attacks from top Russian politicians and the Russian foreign ministry, which have tried to dodge the Soviet Union’s responsibility for helping start the war by launching a joint attack with Nazi Germany against Poland in 1939.

The Nazi-Soviet Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact divided Central Europe between the two totalitarian states, but has long been a source of embarrassment for the Kremlin. Moscow did accept responsibility for the pact as the USSR collapsed three decades ago, but that view no longer fits with the nationalist narrative favored by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin on several occasions has disputed a European Parliament resolution that says the 1939 non-aggression deal paved the way for the war. In December, Putin called it “a sheer nonsense,” and instead pointed to the 1938 Munich Agreement, which allowed Adolf Hitler to annex Czechoslovakia, and the benefits Poland got from the pact, as an international agreement that started the war.

In December, Putin called Poland’s prewar ambassador to Germany an “anti-Semitic swine.”

His comments were echoed by other high-level Russian officials. Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Russian Duma, said on Tuesday that “hundreds of extermination camps” were located in Poland. “This was largely facilitated by the prewar atmosphere in Poland and the position of the leadership of this country. And for this, present Polish leadership must apologize to the whole world,” he said.

In response, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki accused Russia’s president of “deliberately” lying about Poland “on numerous occasions.”

On the 80th anniversary of the start of the war, the Russian foreign ministry tweeted: “One may have varying opinions on Soviet policy during the initial period of World War II, but it is impossible to deny the fact that it was the Soviet Union that routed Nazism, liberated Europe and saved European democracy.”

That long series of slights has prompted EU institutions to defend Poland.

“If one member state is singled out in efforts to distort its historical role, the EU Commission will always protest,” Jourová said, adding: “The Commission will not tolerate these attacks on Poland and stands in full solidarity with Poland and the Polish people.”

Democratic worries

The message from the European Parliament on the rule of law was much less palatable to PiS MEPs, and the debate in Parliament showed the deep splits in the country and in the EU in the aftermath of the ruling party’s changes to the court system.

“In Poland, we are dealing with an unending carnival of destruction of the justice system,” said Sylwia Spurek, a Polish MEP with the Socialist & Democrats.

PiS MEPs responded with fury.

“Polish courts are independent and free,” said Beata Szydło, a former prime minister. “Everyone who claims differently is lying.”

The Parliament is due to vote on a resolution on the rule of law in Poland and Hungary on Thursday.

This article has been updated with the European Parliament’s debate on rule of law in Poland.