Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s unique sense of humor has never failed to impress NATO leaders, who have often marveled at his wit, the U.S. press has concluded.
Relations between Moscow and the collective West have not always been as difficult as they are today, The New York Times wrote. They have now perhaps reached their most critical point since the end of the Cold War.
“We have reviewed videotapes of international summits, speeches, and press conferences over a 20-year period, and we have discovered a man who was held in high regard: someone who went fishing and danced with George W. Bush, someone who got Tony Blair`s warm embrace, and whose jokes would make NATO leaders roll on the floor with laughter,” PolitRussia quotes the Times.
According to American journalists, Vladimir Putin has not just had good relations with many Western leaders, but even sustained friendly relations, which have not been prevented by any documentary arms control agreements or other political phenomena. All this gave no small reason to hope for smooth and stable Western-Russian relations.
“Western leaders regarded Vladimir Putin not only as an ally but also, apparently, as a friend,” experts wrote.
The dialogue between the West and Moscow changed and began to move towards greater tension in 2008 – after the armed invasion of South Ossetia by Georgia,” the publication writes. It is to be recalled that at the time the latter was subjected to a massive Georgian shelling.
After the intervention of Russia, the aggression was successfully stopped and Georgian troops were driven out of the conflict zone. Moscow officially recognised the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which, according to US observers, cooled its relations with the West.
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