Time for Russia to Acknowledge Soviet Transgressions

In June of 1940, the Soviet Union annexed the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania as part of a non-aggression pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. It wasn't until 1990 and 1991 that these three "captive nations" regained their freedom, as the Soviet Union collapsed under the weight of Communism.

Fast-forward to 2005. Today, President Bush will travel to Russia to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. The leaders of Lithuania and Estonia will not be attending the celebration, due to Moscow's refusal to denounce the 1940 annexation. Not only that, but the Russians are in a stew over letters from President Bush to the Baltic Presidents, noting that the war's end meant anything but liberation in their countries. According to the New York Times:

On the eve of President Bush's trip to Moscow to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Nazi Germany's defeat, another skirmish broke out Wednesday between the United States and Russia over a letter Mr. Bush sent to the presidents of the Baltics calling the end of World War II the beginning of the unlawful Soviet annexation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Russian officials, who were already upset that Mr. Bush chose to bookend his trip to Moscow on Sunday and Monday with visits to the former Soviet republics of Latvia and Georgia, angrily responded that Mr. Bush was rewriting history.

"It's a distortion of facts, it's a complete distortion of the historic picture," said a senior official at the Russian Embassy in Washington who asked not be identified because he did not have authorization from Moscow.

Moscow's position has been that the Baltics were allies.

The President's letter to the Latvian President is posted on her web site here. It states, in part:

During this trip, I will mark the sacrifice of America and many other nations in defeating Nazism. In Western Europe, the end of World War II meant liberation. In Central and Eastern Europe, the war also marked the Soviet occupation and annexation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and the imposition of communism. Given this painful history, I understand the difficulty of your decision on whether to attend the May 9 commemoration in Moscow, and I respect the choices you and the other Baltic leaders have made. Thank you for sharing your views with me.

Russia should come out of denial. The collaboration between two evil empires resulted in the enslavement of three sovereign nations for half a century. President Bush (as well as some members of Congress) should be commended for ensuring that the world remembers that fact.