Some history for Vlad

When Messrs Trump and Putin shake hands in Anchorage today, the Russian dictator plans to display "historical materials" that prove Ukraine to be a part of Russia. The American president should bring along the charter of the United Nations, which 51 independent nations signed in 1945. Among them, at Joseph Stalin's insistence, were Belarus and Ukraine. Like everything that comes out of Moscow, this was of course totally cynical: Stalin wanted a couple extra votes in the General Assembly. But surely what was good enough for the fabled Russian dictator of the 20th century is good enough for his admirer in the 21st.

And while we're revising national boundaries, let's not forget Kaliningrad, the nuclear-armed Russian "exclave" between Poland and Lithuania. In 1940, before Stalin and Hitler started divididng Europe between them, it was known as East Prussia and was part of Germany. Shouldn't it now be restored to Berlin's control?