An informal meeting was held Thursday evening between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, which holds the EU rotating presidency, and the president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso.
"We are set to hold an open and sincere dialog without any taboo subjects," Russian President Vladimir Putin said opening the plenary session of the 30th Russia-EU summit.
The sides had hoped to discuss a new Russia-EU cooperation deal, but Poland's veto on the talks over Russia's meat embargo remains in force. The existing Partnership and Cooperation Agreement expires this year.
Welcoming the guests to the Samara Region, Putin said it was home to Russia's industrial and intellectual potential, and was a popular tourist destination. "Russians have already come to love this place, and we expect EU citizens to follow suit now that a visa facilitation regime will be introduced between Russia and the EU on June 1," Putin said.
Today's plenary session will address the situation in Russia and the European Union, whose relations have lately been strained over disputes between Moscow and certain members of the 27-nation bloc.
Moscow's disputes with the three EU members - over a ban on Poland's meat, the removal of a Soviet war memorial from the center of Estonia's capital Tallinn, and Lithuania's demands that Russian oil supplies be resumed via the Druzhba pipeline - have overshadowed the summit. This prompted Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, the current EU president, to briefly visit Russia on Tuesday for talks with the president, in an attempt to defuse the situation.
Russia and the EU are in the process of establishing four common spaces, notably in the spheres of economy, security and international relations and in the humanitarian sector.
