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France — which is selling the Russian navy two helicopter assault ships for US$1.6 billion, including one to be named the Sevastopol that will be based in the Crimean port city of that name — pointedly refused to disinvite Putin from the party it is hosting. In fact, President Francois Hollande is to have Putin over to dinner on Thursday in Paris. Britain’s David Cameron has arranged to have a private tete-a-tete with the man from the Kremlin at the conclusion of Friday’s ceremonies in Normandy.

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A harsh irony of this week’s gathering to reflect on one of the seminal moments of the Second World War is that the very spot that was such a battleground 70 years ago has become a gathering place for leaders who do not wish to offend, let alone confront, Putin despite months of threats and bullying that have put European security equilibrium seriously off-kilter.

In a week rich with symbolism related to D-Day and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Poland is to celebrate the 25th anniversary of elections that ended four decades of Kremlin-led Communist rule. Harper arrived Tuesday night in Warsaw at the front end of a five-day visit to Europe to be part of these celebrations.

After meeting Wednesday with Poland’s revered Solidarity trade union leader, Lech Walesa, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Harper is to fly to Brussels for an emergency Group of Seven summit on Wednesday and Thursday that replaces the G8 gathering that was to have taken place in Sochi. One of the top items at the G7 will be whether to impose stiffer sanctions against Russia because it continues to keep some combat troops on its border with Ukraine while Russian nationals have made no secret that they are taking a much greater role in fighting Ukrainian forces in the east of that country.