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In an historic move, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has invited Polish counterpart Donald Tusk to a joint Polish-Russian commemoration of the Stalinist massacre of Polish prisoners at Katyń.

Mr Putin will be the first Russian leader to visit the cemetery at the site.

The crime has cast a shadow over Polish-Russian relations for decades. After years of Soviet denials, Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin admitted that the massacre was carried out by Stalin's forces.

Even so, some in Russia still insist that it was Germany that carried out the mass murder.

"The invitation has a symbolic dimension," said Mr Tusk. "For the first time the premiers of Poland and Russia will jointly commemorate the anniversary of the Katyń atrocity. the participation of Premier Putin in the ceremonies for the anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, and now this invitation generate hope that our discussion about the history of Poland and Russia will slowly but consequently continue. And also that Polish-Russian relations will improve."

Source: Gazeta Wyborcza