Sir,
Poland's marking of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the second world war has once again shown that the country's leaders are unable to bury the ghosts of the past and move forward ("War wounds still cause pain as Poland deals with neighbours", September 1).
It is undoubtedly important to remember the horrors of the war and how they came about, but to let those memories dictate a country's current policies is unfortunate.
Vladimir Putin's press article and speech, both well received in Poland, have failed to blunt the edge of the Polish president's verbal assault on Russia and its past aggression against Poland.
Mr Putin has shown restraint, political wisdom and skill in acknowledging the wrongs of Bolshevik Russia's dealings with Hitler, but he also stressed the importance of moving forward and working together.
Poland, on the other hand, as ever unable to be objective about its history, has recycled and reiterated the old accusations and demands for apologies. Surely, if it is possible for Russia and Germany to have reconciliation and a pragmatic attitude to their equally tragic past, it must be possible for Poland to move on and to do business with Russia, forging a new collaboration that would benefit it and the rest of Europe. Mr Putin showed true leadership, vision and statesmanship in this regard.
Matthew Krolak,
Leatherhead, Surrey, UK