Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who will...

Some state leaders he will have to shake hands with in Krakow are highly critical of Russia, such as Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who vetoed a bill that would have allowed the destruction of the controversial WWII monument The Bronze Soldier, instead in 2007 ordering its removal from the city center, and Valdas Adamkus, a former Lithuanian president and political emigre from the Soviet era.

Thankfully, Georgia"s Mikheil Saakashvili so far has no plans to attend the funeral; he has paid his tributes to Kaczynski on Facebook.

Despite the somber occasion, Medvedev"s visit will be important in that it will be his first visit to Poland and a chance to understand our western neighbor better. He is visiting Poland at a difficult period of transition, as the country is preparing for an early presidential election.

Acting President Bronislaw Komorowski, speaker of the Polish parliament, is currently consulting representatives of Poland"s largest parties on

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