Putin Used Flattery and Deception to Influence US Presidents for Decades, Says The Times
Lucile Brizard | Mar 24, 2025 | 12:33The Times reported that over the past 25 years, Russian leader Vladimir Putin of Russia has sought to flatter, deceive and manipulate five American presidents—from Bill Clinton to Donald Trump — while showing little effort to hide his disdain for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
In the report published on March 21, Putin’s earliest known attempt to influence a US president dates back to 1996. When then-President Bill Clinton visited St. Petersburg, Clinton was rushed through the city in an armored vehicle, taken to a windowless restaurant, and kept away from ordinary residents, according to the report.
US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe who served from 1994 to 2001, recalled that Ambassador Jim Collins attributed the restrictive arrangements during Clinton’s visit to a deputy mayor named Putin, marking the first time many US officials heard his name, according to
The Times.
Putin’s motives for isolating Clinton remain unclear. But as a former KGB officer, Putin was trained to assess psychological profiles and find ways to influence foreign officials. Angela Stent, a former intelligence adviser on Russia to US policymakers, told
The Times that Putin has become increasingly skilled at identifying vulnerabilities and manipulating Western leaders, many of whom lack a deep understanding of Russia.
Three of the five US presidents who have served during Putin’s rule—Clinton, George W. Bush and Trump—have spoken at one time or another, publicly about their positive relationships with him,
The Times reported. Clinton said in 2013 that he had “a really good, blunt relationship” with Putin.
President George W. Bush, initially wary of Putin, famously described him as “very straightforward and trustworthy” after their first summit in Slovenia in 2001, saying he had “looked the man in the eye” and “got a sense of his soul.” That impression was reportedly shaped by a story Putin shared about his mother’s Orthodox cross that survived a house fire, a tale some US officials present doubted. Condoleezza Rice, then national security adviser, recalled telling Bush she was unsure the story was true . . .
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