|
|
Article: Mr Putin regrets; Russia, Poland and history.(Vladimir Putin)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- September 5, 2009
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Remembrance of ugly things past
Russia bandages a wound in Poland
IT IS hard to imagine modern Germany haggling with Poland about opening wartime archives, let alone over who started the war. With Russia, it is different. Vladimir Putin's visit to Gdansk, where a ceremony this week marked the first shots of the second world war in September 1939, was both a step forward and a depressing sign of continuing difficulties.
Polish officials struggled to stay polite before the Russian prime minister's arrival. In June the Russian defence ministry website argued that Poland had caused the war by provoking Hitler. Last month a Kremlin-controlled ...