Tense Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Thursday with Barroso and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, the current holder of the EU's six-month rotating presidency, at the start of the two-day summit on the Volga River.

"The European Union is a union of 27 member states and we take decisions based on solidarity. I came here of course with this spirit of defending European interests in that sense of solidarity," Barroso said.

Speaking to reporters after his arrival in Samara, a regional centre, he said he would hold "a frank and open discussion" with Putin at the summit but did not expect any breakthroughs. "I am not expecting, honestly, anything spectacular from this meeting," Barroso said.

Merkel also called for dialogue with Moscow, saying ahead of the talks: "Russia and the European Union are interdependent. It's always good to speak to each other rather than talking about each other."

The summit's main consultations were set for Friday at the Volzhsky Utyos (Volga Cliff) resort complex, southeast of Moscow, but the agenda was limited because of ongoing diplomatic and trade disputes.

"A difficult time"

"This summit is taking place at a difficult time," a German government official told reporters in Berlin this week. "But if we want a strategic partnership with Russia it's important that we talk even during difficult times."

Even if there is no narrowing of differences, both sides will get a better idea of each other's positions, he said.

EU officials said talks would touch on international issues such as the future status of Kosovo and Iran's nuclear programme, as well as Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) this year.

But negotiations on a key partnership agreement that governs EU-Russia relations, including in the vitally important energy sphere, have been held up because of a trade row between EU member Poland and Russia.

"EU members understand us. So, in a sense, there is a situation of crisis in relations between the EU and Russia," Polish Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga said Thursday in an interview with Polish public television.

Poland has warned it will maintain a veto on talks unless Moscow lifts a ban on meat imports from Poland and EU members form a united front on the issue of energy security.

Russia has accused Poland of holding EU-Russia relations "hostage."

Russia's WTO bid

The row with Poland and a bitter war of words with Estonia over a Soviet memorial in Tallinn have highlighted still-tense relations between Moscow and formerly Soviet-dominated central Europe.

After a recent blockade of the Estonian embassy in Moscow, and violent scenes at a news conference given by the Estonian ambassador, the European Commission has urged Russia to observe UN conventions on protection of diplomats.

Russia has suggested it wants to deal only with more established EU states, sparking angry responses from EU officials, who have vowed unity in the face of pressure from Russia.

EU leaders have also voiced concern about Europe's rapidly growing reliance on Russian oil and gas imports at a time when Russia is becoming an increasingly assertive energy power.

There are other items on the summit agenda that could spark controversy. The European Union has supported Russia's bid to join the World Trade Union as soon as possible but has said that it could withhold final approval until EU-Russia trade tariff rows are resolved.

Putin has set early WTO accession as a key goal for his presidency.

A draft document seen by AFP said EU leaders should "make clear that the EU is ready to support early conclusion of Russia's WTO accession but not at any price."

Missile defense, democratic freedoms

Russia has also contributed to the tense mood of the summit with its ongoing row with the US over plans to station elements of a planned missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic. Moscow has threatened to tear up a key arms limitation pact if Washington goes ahead with those plans.

EU leaders also said they wanted to discuss democratic freedoms in Russia, which have come under scrutiny amid a crackdown on opposition protests ahead of presidential elections next year.

An anti-Kremlin group, The Other Russia, is due to hold a protest rally in Samara on Friday. The demonstration has been dogged with problems, including the arrest of several of the main organizers.

Meanwhile, hundreds of pro-Kremlin activists also prepared to rally in Samara on Friday against Estonia's decision to move a controversial Soviet war monument last month.

Russia reprimanded the European Union for failing to condemn Estonia's decision, which sparked rioting by ethnic-Russians. Brussels has said the issue is an internal matter for Estonia.