By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) – Poland on Saturday summoned Russia's ambassador to Warsaw to protest over Russian President Vladimir Putin's remarks, calling Poland's western territories as "Stalin's gift to Poles," according to local media.
“The Ambassador of the Russian Federation Sergei Andreyev appeared at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting began at 10 am and was brief,” Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski told Polish Press Agency (PAP).
Putin said: "... the western territories of present–day Poland are Stalin's gift to the Poles. Have our friends in Warsaw forgotten about it? We will remind them."
The Russian president's remarks came after he accused Poland of plotting to take control of Ukraine's western part through the formation of a joint Polish-Lithuanian-Ukrainian military group.
"Stalin was a war criminal responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Poles. The historical truth is beyond doubt," Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said later Friday on Twitter.