Poland vetoed the launch of talks between the European Union and Russia on a new partnership agreement on Thursday over a meat dispute, casting a shadow over a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Reuters. The Polish move, dramatising latent hostility between Warsaw and its former Soviet master, was a political embarrassment for the 25-nation EU, which will be unable to speak with a single voice at the meeting with Putin in Helsinki on Friday. Warsaw blocked consensus on a negotiating mandate, spurning a compromise offered by the EU's Finnish presidency on a statement demanding an urgent lifting of Moscow's ban on imports of Polish meat and some other food products. "Every country, at times, has its own sensitivities. We have to understand them to a certain extent, and this time Poland had its own difficulties," Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said after EU ambassadors ended days of wrangling with no deal. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was the EU's problem, not Russia's, and belittled the significance. "The problem is on the European side. The ball is on their field. We are ready to wait in a very constructive manner. Meanwhile, we have lots of things to discuss," he said. Asked if Moscow was disappointed, he said: "We are not. We think Brussels should be disappointed to some extent as this was a perfect opportunity to initiate these negotiations. Most likely we will lose this opportunity." Polish Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga, speaking on a visit to Oslo, said Poland was willing to risk its reputation in the EU over what she called a matter of sovereignty." "What kind of damage can be (deemed acceptable) when you fight for your sovereignty? You wage everything for this. Everything, even reputation," she said in English.
