Will Finland bring Putin and Kaczyński together?

Polish Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga has suggested that President Kaczyński could meet Vladimir Putin in Lahti, Finland, this October, during an informal summit of 25 EU member states. She admitted in an interview with Russian newspaper "Rossiyskaya Gazyeta" that the Polish-Russian relationship has been cold for too long and that there is political will on both sides to change it. The idea to meet on "third party" territory appeared after President Kaczyński was elected and criticized his predecessor, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, for having visited Putin too frequently and stated that it was high time for Putin to pay a return visit. No details concerning the visit have yet been settled; therefore, this time it could mark a breakthrough in bilateral relations if the meeting really took place. (Rzeczpospolita, p.5) J.L.