Putin blames Britain for Russia's invasion of Poland on the 70th anniversary of WWII
It was almost the 'sorry' that Poland has waited seventy years for.
But just as Vladimir Putin inched towards an apology for Russia's invasion of Poland in the wake of the Nazi-Soviet pact in 1939, he pulled back from the precipice, placing the blame for the outbreak of the Second World War squarely on Britain and France.
At a ceremony marking the outbreak of the war in Gdansk, Poland today, Mr Putin downplayed Russia's responsibility, emphasising instead the Soviet Union's role in fighting the Nazis.
And in an article published in Poland yesterday he argued that Britain's policy of appeasement with Hitler in 1939 had left Stalin with no choice but to sign a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany - including a secret clause carving up Poland.
'If we are going to speak objectively about history we must understand it does not have just one colour,' Mr Putin said today.
Read entire article at Daily Mail (UK)
But just as Vladimir Putin inched towards an apology for Russia's invasion of Poland in the wake of the Nazi-Soviet pact in 1939, he pulled back from the precipice, placing the blame for the outbreak of the Second World War squarely on Britain and France.
At a ceremony marking the outbreak of the war in Gdansk, Poland today, Mr Putin downplayed Russia's responsibility, emphasising instead the Soviet Union's role in fighting the Nazis.
And in an article published in Poland yesterday he argued that Britain's policy of appeasement with Hitler in 1939 had left Stalin with no choice but to sign a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany - including a secret clause carving up Poland.
'If we are going to speak objectively about history we must understand it does not have just one colour,' Mr Putin said today.