The slow reconciliation between Russia and Lithuania

Vladimir Putin may travel to Vilnius for a sporting event in June, after being invited to visit the country since 2006. The news portal Delfi explains why Putin has given his Baltic neighbour a wide berth for years: "Of course Moscow is still furious at Vilnius' demand for over 80 billion litas [around 23 billion euros] in compensation for the Soviet occupation. But it also has to do with an acknowledgement of having occupied Lithuania in the first place, and the question of the extradition of those responsible for the deaths of January 13, 1991 [in the fight for independence]. And now the parliament has played a new card: it is planning a commemoration for the Lithuanian border guard Aleksandras Barauskas, who was killed on June 15, 1940. ... Barauskas' death was blamed on the Lithuanians and used as a justification for occupying the country. Will today's Russia admit this and apologise? That's very hard to imagine."

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