Tusk On His Way To Moscow

Donald Tusk is visiting Moscow this week in the hope of thawing what have been icy relations between Poland and Russia in recent years. The ultra-nationalists Kaczynski twins, who held power for the last two years in Poland were always keen to rub up an old enemy the wrong way, and support for the Ukraine's Orange Revolution, the US Missile shield and a veto on EU-Russia discussions hardly was productive to better relations.

Russia of course, as ever in international affairs, have been no angels towards their old Soviet comrades, and a politically motivate ban on Polish meat, and a gas pipe-line agreement with Germany are two Kremlin policies that haven't gone down well in Polska.

Although Russia has lifted the meat embargo neither country is likely to radically alter its stance on key issues, but the very fact that Tusk is visiting Moscow can't be a bad start to healing the rift in Russian, Polish relations.