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A number of people have reacted to Mr Putin’s participation in the events held to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. P. Hagoel, a doctor of philosophy from Greece, sums up the general mood in his letter: “I am the son of one of the inmates who was liberated. The presence of the leaders of 40 different countries at the ceremonies was an expression of gratitude to the liberator-country and to the Russian President personally. In your speech you immortalised the collective memory and demonstrated world leaders’ determination to take a stand against intolerance, racism and terrorism”.

Also noteworthy among letters from abroad was a letter from a group of young German journalists who write that many Western media outlets often present a biased picture of events in Russia, focusing solely on negative aspects. “Russian policy is deemed worthy of approval only when it coincides with the interests of other countries. We believe there is a need to more actively stand up for a positive image of Russia,” they write.

Italian Fabrizio Tassinari, professor of international relations at Copenhagen University specialising in European studies, writes about the same issues. Writing in his letter to Mr Putin about relations between Russia and the European Union, he says, for example: “I believe that your country and your work deserve a great deal of confidence and support from Europe. I am a fervent supporter of Europe and of this project we are carrying out to build peace and prosperity and integrate our continent. But there are moments when I cannot but express my contempt for the increasingly common preaching tone and the double standards coming from Brussels. This tendency is very detrimental to relations with Russia. The European Union describes itself as Russia’s strategic partner but behaves like a giver of funds, treating Russia more as an object than as a subject. Certainly, Russia has plenty of problems, but every country has its problems and finds itself facing various difficulties. The existence of common interests shared by the European Union and Russia should serve as the starting point for building Europe. All of the demands that the European Union makes in its statements, demands regarding common values, democracy and human rights, are all of great significance, but they do not recognise the importance of the main facts. There are many areas where the European Union cannot get by without Russia (energy resources, security in Europe and so on). Likewise, Russia cannot get by without Europe (without Europe’s market, for example). Europe should take this basic equation as the starting point and be more pragmatic in its relations with Russia and more honest with itself.”