Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will visit Poland for ceremonies marking the outbreak of World War II on September 1.

The visit, which includes meetings with Poland's premier Donald Tusk and Ukraine's premier Julita Timosenko, will be Putin's first trip in a number of years to a country in the former Soviet satellite states, and comes as a Russian television programme was accused last week of manipulating the comments of a renowned Polish historian to suggest that Poland was Nazi German leader Adolf Hitler's first ally against the former Soviet Union.

The Russian leader is scheduled to attend ceremonies in the Baltic coastal city of Gdansk for ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II.