”Second World War commemorations were once characterised by gestures of reconciliation, but Vladimir Putin is changing that. The atmosphere ahead of May’s 75th anniversary of VE Day is becoming “poisonous”, not least where Poland is concerned. The country is generally regarded as the first victim of Nazi expansionism, but in a speech in December, Russia’s president turned this truth on its head, wrongly blaming Poland for helping start the War. He claimed that the 1939 Hitler-Stalin non-aggression pact was an act of Soviet self-defence. And Stalin was merely trying to save Polish lives when he invaded the country from the east two weeks after the Nazis, said Putin.

“This is utter nonsense. Putin failed to mention the secret protocol in which Hitler and Stalin agreed to split Poland between them, and the thousands of Poles killed by Stalin’s forces. He is clearly out for “revenge”. Enraged last year when the European parliament blamed the Hitler-Stalin pact for starting the War – itself a response to earlier Russian efforts to revise history – Putin was also offended at being refused an invitation to D-Day celebrations in Normandy last year. With tempers rising, it’s hard to see this year’s commemorations proceeding with the usual dignity”.  (Frank Herold, Der Tagesspiegel, Berlin, 18 January 2020).

My take:  Putin is a nasty piece of work, but what Western commentators fail to comment on is the history of the last few decades and the fall of the Soviets.  Russians are proud of the massive empire they once had, and which for reasons of pride they would like to restore (hence Crimea, for instance, their warm water access to the Mediterranean).

Russians are very aware of what they believe to have been Western arrogance and bullying.  The EU has expanded and expanded, right into what Russia believes is its sphere of influence – Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Roumania (a great mistake!).  Then there was the rocket ring NATO proposed that would ring Russia.  Russia itself is a minor economic power, but very good at electronic snooping,  disrupting elections and intruding on our lives.  It is time to try to calm Putin down and create an accord., or this will never stop.   This is what we have diplomats for. We have enough challenges , for heaven’s sakE, climate change being even scarier than the corona virus.

Yes, this is international politics, forbidden in Epicurean discussion,  but we have enough to mess up our ataraxia without stirring the further enmity of Putin and his people.