Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier at a meeting at Novo-Ogarevo, May 15, 2007
Photo: Dmitry Azarov
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Vladimir Putin Separates Europe from America
// With his shoulder
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier yesterday. Kommersant special correspondent Andrey Kolesnikov noticed that the last meeting was a warm as the first one was cold.
Only the personal press of the U.S. secretary of state and Russian president was present at their meeting. I saw Rice only when she was on her way out of the presidential residence. She was a little unsteady on the feet about the hour-long talks with the president. But not because she was exhausted by that difficult conversation.
No, Condy came staggering out of the residence at Novo-Ogarevo for a single reason: She was wearing such high high heels that she couldn't keep herself up there. She was wearing a subdued pantsuit. Together, they looked me as if they had been borrowed from the set of a film about a naughty schoolgirl…
Rice looked pretty unhappy when she emerged, partially, probably, because of the several meters of steps she had to traverse in front of journalists to reach her car. And partially, obviously, because her conversation with the president gave her no reason for festivities either.
Several minutes later, Putin met with the German foreign minister, who had to wait in his car a little while Rice's Chevrolet Cabriolet pulled out. Russian protocol managers were so strict in showing the driver of the Chevrolet, and the minibus following it, that they were no longer in the right place that it became obvious that Rice was not a welcome guest at Novo-Ogarevo.
The German foreign minister, on the other hand, clearly is such a guest. It's enough to say that he is a Social-Democrat and a close colleague of former chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
“We know that Germany is chairing the EU,” Putin told him, “and is preparing for the meeting of the G8. If we can do anything to help, we would be glad to put our shoulder to it.”
There was the impression that Steinmeier did not expect such polite treatment (and, in the final analysis, it was Rice in her towering heels that needed that shoulder).
“I know that your day is full of foreign visitors,” the German minister replied. “We are all the more grateful to you for finding time to meet with us. I know that in 2001 you said that you do not only support European integration.” Steinmeier was clearly well prepared for this meeting. “In addition, you said that we are still very closely tied to our traditional thinking patterns and that, when we talk about partnership we are, at times, not trusting enough.”
The minister could quote the president all he wanted and all the same no one, not even the president himself, I'm sure, could confirm or deny the accuracy of his quotations or if such words were spoken at all. Probably Putin said something like that sometime. They were too banal not to have been used for some banal occasion.
“But, in those places where we lack trust,” the minister continued, “we must not assume a position of expectation and waiting, and we must not remain silent when treating areas in which we have a conflict of interests. That is yet another reason why I am here today: to look for opportunities that would allow us to overcome our differences of opinion.”
That is, the minister admitted that the situation on the eve of the Russia-EU summit in Samara is difficult and there are conflicts of interest that threat to burgeon.
It was understood what conflict he was talking about. It was understood, for instance, because next to Putin sat Agriculture Minister Alexey Gordeev, so said before negotiations began that Russia had sent a proposal to Poland at the beginning of the month that a group of Russian specialists go to Warsaw to talk one more time about the problem of deliveries of Polish meat to Russia. The Polish side, Gordeev said, did not consider it necessary even to respond to that offer.
The German minister apparently was quite willing to take up the Polish meat issue. The negotiations in the presence of assistants lasted about an hour and a half. Then the president and the minister spent that much time again talking alone. When the minister emerged, he was not staggering (that could only be expected after he left the Royal Hunt restaurant, which was his next stop after Novo-Ogarevo).
On the contrary. Steinmeier was lively and even merry. He had liked the talks. A lot even. I think even the Polish meat issue gave him a boost.
He probably understood that he wouldn't solve it in any case.
Andrey Kolesnikov
All the Article in Russian as of May 16, 2007
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