Mitt Romney: Vladimir Putin Turning Back Clock on Progress

Uses Poland as an example of benefits of freedom

Mitt Romney has accused Vladimir Putin of reversing democratic gains and liberties in Russia, holding Poland up as a shining example of the economic, political and democratic benefits of freedom, in a speech at Warsaw University on the values of liberty.

Romney rounded off his first campaign venture into foreign policy – a six-day tour of Britain, Israel and Poland – on Tuesday with a performance free of the gaffes and controversies that dogged earlier legs of his trip. In Britain he was accused of insulting his hosts over their Olympic preparations. His later declaration that the superiority of Jewish culture explained Israelis' greater prosperity relative to the Palestinians prompted charges of racism from leading Palestinians.