Kwasniewski, Putin meet in Kiev to discuss gas trade and foreign relations

President Aleksander Kwasniewski and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Kiev on Thursday. The leaders focused their talks on the gas trade, Kalingrad and Belarus. According to Stanislaw Ciosek, the former ambassador to Russia and adviser of President Kwasniewski, Polish-Russo relation are entering a new period of cooperation and commitment. Siergiej Prichodko, the vice-chief of the Kremlin administration, told Interfax that Poland is in favor of the Russian position concerning Kalingrad, which after the expansion of European Union will become even more isolated from Russia. According to Russian information, the presidents also agreed to engage in future talks together with the European Union and Lithuania. The presidents will next meet in October, when Kwasniewski travels to Moscow to participate in the Days of Polish Science in Russia. The two are also scheduled to meet again next year in Warsaw and Kalingrad. (Rzeczpospolita, Aug. 25-26) P.W.