Russia and Central Europe. Pretty pictures

Date: 04/03/06

Russia's president makes some surprising new friends

VLADIMIR PUTIN has rarely paid much attention to the sensitivities of former Soviet satellites. Requests to return property looted during the war usually meet studied indifference. Any demand for an apology for Soviet-era crimes prompts a brusque restatement of history as seen from the Kremlin, along the lines of "we freed you from Nazism: be grateful."

But in a trip this week the Russian president has tried a more emollient approach. In Budapest, he laid a wreath to commemorate victims of the 1956 Hungarian uprising, crushed by Soviet tanks. He declared that "Russia is not the Soviet Union, but, I have to tell you frankly, we all feel some kind of moral responsibility for these events in our souls." He also handed back a valuable library of old books and manuscripts, looted by Soviet soldiers from a Protestant seminary in 1945.

Such unprecedented words and deeds mark a new level of reconciliation between erstwhile captor and captive, albeit with a twist. For its part, Hungary had soothed Russian opinion by apologising for siding with the Nazis during the second world war. It also paid more than $400,000 in "storage charges" to the provincial Russian library that had held the books. Cynics note that other war booty, including dozens of valuable paintings once owned by rich Jewish families, remain in Russia with no prospect of return.

Later in the week, in Prague, Mr Putin met one of his warmest admirers abroad: Vaclav Klaus, the Czech president. Mr Klaus said there was no need to discuss the Soviet-led invasion of 1968; Mr Putin acknowledged Russia's "moral responsibility". The Czechs are also returning to Russia a painting by the artist Ivan Kramskoi, which was looted by the Nazis and ended up in an art gallery in Brno. Protests against the war in Chechnya and creeping dictatorship throughout Russia by Mr Klaus's predecessor, Vaclav Havel, and by opposition politicians have made little impact.

Russian officials are praising the "pragmatic" approach of the Czechs and Hungarians, in which historical grudges are sidelined and trade ties are promoted instead. Relations with most other post-communist countries in the European Union, by contrast, have been chilly. But a senior government source in Warsaw says that even Poland is noticing tentative signs of warmth. In January, Mr Putin sent a telegram of condolence after a building collapsed in Katowice, killing 65 people. He also gave an unexpected and effusive interview about the two countries' common interests to Polish television.

What is up? To some extent Mr Putin may simply be trying to repair the damage done to Russia's reputation by the clumsy wobbles over gas supplies at the start of the year. These accelerated the search for alternative sources of energy in countries that are still largely dependent on Russian gas. But some clever diplomacy may be at work too. The charm offensive could be aimed at isolating Estonia and Latvia, the countries in the EU that have the worst relations with Russia. These two particularly want the Russians to ratify treaties that recognise their post-war borders.

Both treaties were kyboshed last year, when Estonia and Latvia chose to issue declarations underlining their status as occupied territories during the Soviet era. Russia contests that view, insisting that the Baltics joined the Soviet Union legally. Because of this, and thanks to the caustic way in which the Russian media cover them, the Baltics still see Russia as scary. Most west European countries, however, think they are being neurotic, and should shut up about the past. That view may be strengthened by Mr Putin's surprisingly friendly visit to central Europe.

Report on the developing relations between Russia and those countries in Eastern and Central Europe that were either part of the Soviet Union (the Baltic Republics of estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) or were Soviet satelites such as Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Commentators note a growing rapprochement between Russia and the latter.