Warsaw--Poland on Thursday marks 70 years since the end of World War II, with an emphasis on the dark side of history: that victory over Nazi Germany triggered 45 years of Soviet domination.
The anniversary comes as relations between the Kremlin and the West sink to Cold War-era lows because of tensions over Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis and fears of its territorial ambitions.
"The end of this war, which overturned German occupation, did not bring freedom to our part of Europe, because the countries here were subordinated against their will to Stalin's empire," Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski said in a weekend interview with the Gazeta Wyborcza daily.
Seeking to hold European talks on the topic, Komorowski in January invited foreign leaders to mark the anniversary in Poland -- to coincide with a conference of German, Polish and Russian historians who have been meeting since 2009.
Historical and political discussions will be held in the northern port city of Gdansk on May 7, followed by a midnight ceremony at nearby Westerplatte, where the first shots of the war were fired on September 1, 1939.
Komorowski wanted participants to reflect on three anniversaries at once: 70 years since the victory over Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, 70 years since the Yalta conference where the West ceded a part of Europe -- including Poland -- to Stalin, and 25 years since the fall of communism.
But the initiative has not gone over well in Russia.
Senior Moscow officials immediately denounced the event, which they believe is meant to compete with their traditional Red Square military parade on May 9.
To make matters worse, only a handful of world leaders are set to attend the Moscow ceremonies, as Western leaders are giving Russian President Vladimir Putin the cold shoulder over his role in the Ukraine conflict.
However, Poland's Western allies may worry that sending their leaders to Gdansk could exacerbate relations with the Kremlin.
So Komorowski has found himself about to preside over a gathering that is just a shadow of what he meant it to be.
AFP
