Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made a historic and friendly gesture by marking the Soviet Katyn massacre of Polish officers, but he did not place blame on anyone for the atrocity, Polish media reported Thursday, according to dpa. Putin and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk on Wednesday attended ceremonies in Katyn, western Russia, marking the tragedy that continues to haunt Polish-Russian relations. Putin's statement that there was no justification for the murders could have been the most important event in bilateral relations since Russia pulled out its armed forces from Poland after communism collapsed, said the daily Dziennik. "This is a symbolic gesture. It's recognition of our interests and our position in Europe," the daily wrote, referring to Poland's growing influence inside the European Union. The daily Gazeta Wyborcza called the meeting of the two premiers at Katyn "the final Katyn lie, which for years poisoned Polish- Russian relations." The daily Rzeczpospolita was more critical, saying there was an impression throughout the day that Putin "tried to avoid directly pointing out the perpetrators, including Joseph Stalin." The daily Polska commented that Putin did not give any signals that he would open up Soviet archives dealing with Russian leader Joseph Stalin's crimes, which include the massacre at Katyn. Poland wants Russia to release the documents it holds on the massacre, which Warsaw says it needs to bring the perpetrators of the killings to justice.
