Dmitry Medvedev’s election as Russian president offers the west a chance to improve relations with Moscow, says Radoslaw Sikorski, the Polish foreign minister.

“We should always give credit to a new leader and Mr Medvedev is an interesting person because he is the first Russian leader in my memory who doesn’t come from the Communist party or the security services. It is a hopeful development,” Mr Sikorski told the Financial Times in an interview on Monday.