If you answered ‘Play Golf With George Bush At the Ex-President’s Club’ then I’m afraid to say you’re wrong, but those of you who said ‘Visit An Agricultural Machinery Factory’ can give yourselves a jolly good pat on the back. 10 out of 10 to you.
Seen by many as a trip that could open a new page in Russian-American relations the US president’s two day visit to Moscow to attend a series of meetings with Russian president Dmitry Medvedev appears to have started quite successfully. High on the agenda are the usual beauty pageant ambitions of world peace, prosperity for all, and nuclear disarmament. But where will Russia’s man in charge be during these important meetings? Now before you rush to answer that he’ll be exchanging pleasantries and handshakes with America’s man in charge, let’s be clear as to who’s really running the Russian theatre set. Only one in ten Russians believe it’s president Medvedev, compared to nearly one in three who think it’s the prime minister, Vladimir Putin. I agree with that third.
So, will Putin be getting down to serious business with the American leader? Well only as far as having breakfast with him tomorrow. Vlad has much more important matters to attend to, like his visit today to the Rostselmash combine harvester factory in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. His essential trip to examine the plant’s assembly shops can only indicate that he didn’t get a good enough look at them when he was there last December. Much better way to spend the day than waiting on the tarmac for Air Force One to land.
Though, there’s no suggestion, you understand, that he snubbed Obama. . . .
