Colin did have some good ideas. We had a meeting in early October, after we had decided on the trip. "Okay, so you are planning on caving in on NATO and the anti-missile issue." I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a hand to stop me. "That's what it's going to look like. What do you want in return? We need some specific points to ask about, and at least get a discussion going. What do you want from the Russians?"
When he put it that away, it made sense. We were going to do some negotiating, so what was going to be the bid and offer prices. "Cooperation on anti-terrorism, for one thing, and not just some speeches. We are going to be setting up some form of counter-terrorism intelligence center, and I am going to want active cooperation with them. We send a request, they respond, and vice versa. If they want to send people to help, we will return the favor. I want real cooperation. This is what is going to be the problem for most of the next century."
Colin nodded. "What else?"
Pushy bastard! "They need to play nicer with their neighbors, at least their European ones. I don't care what they do on the backside of nowhere, but they can't be as pushy with the Baltic States and the Ukraine. I know it's complicated, but if they ratchet their shit down, so will we. They also really need to cut any ties with Hugo Chavez. They stay out of our back yard and we can stay out of theirs."
"They are going to claim that is interference in their internal politics." Again, he held up his hand to slow me down. "I know it's not, but that will be their response. Okay, so we need to firm up some of these ideas and get specific. I've never heard that you were a big poker player..." I shook my head at that, and he continued, " ... but I know you are used to making deals. We need to make a deal with them." We worked on that prior to the trip.
The schedule in Russia was that we left Paris late and landed in Moscow very early. It's only a three-and-a-half hour flight, and Moscow is only two hours ahead of Paris. We left at 10:00 PM and arrived 3:30 AM, and headed directly to the Moscow Ritz Carlton. International travel was beginning to wear on us, and we all got some sleep before heading to the Kremlin mid-morning. The formal state dinner was actually for the next evening. We would be in discussions with Putin and Kasyanov all day, and then take in the ballet at the Bolshoi that night, more meetings tomorrow, and then the fancy dinner.
According to my State Department briefing, Putin spoke Russian and fluent German, which was probably why a big chunk of his KGB career had been spent in Germany. Supposedly he was taking English lessons, although to what extent he was fluent was questionable. We would definitely be using translators. So be it. My Russian was limited to da, nyet, sookin sin, and yob tvou mat! That worked out to yes, no, son of a bitch, and go fuck your mother. (It's amazing the junk you pick up and store in your memory.) I didn't figure to use the last two phrases anywhere in public, and Marilyn would probably smack me if I used them around her, especially since I would have to translate them for her.
We met at 11:00 AM for a small photo session, to be followed by lunch, after which we would have a working session. During the photo session you sit there side by side and smile and don't say anything more important than "Do you get a lot of snow here?" The answer is "A whole shitload!" or something to that effect. Whatever you do, don't actually say anything meaningful while the cameras and recorders are running. More than one American President has stepped on his dick by saying something private and having it run on the air that evening. I kept asking about the weather until everybody had left, and we were able to get down to business.
Putin started off by having his Prime Minister, Mikhail Kasyanov, review a litany of complaints about George Bush's speeches and actions related to NATO. He argued with the NATO expansion with Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic (even though that had been done by the Democrats under Clinton) and argued strenuously against any continued expansion into the Baltics or further east. Secretary of State Powell and I kept our mouths shut and listened. The complaints were nothing new.
Colin responded with complaints about Russian heavy-handedness in regards to interference in the politics of the Baltic States - Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The Soviets had ruled them during the post World War II era, and they had a sizable minority of Russian citizens stranded there when the Soviet Union collapsed. Economically the nations were marginal but improving. Culturally, they considered themselves distinct from Russia and more European, and generally didn't like Russians.
Putin and Kasyanov sat there stone faced while Colin went through our complaints. They were on the verge of a rejoinder, none of which was overly helpful, when I decided to intervene. The Secretary and I had worked this out ahead of time; it would give me the appearance of breaking through a road block. "Mister President, Mister Prime Minister, allow me to make a few comments, if I might.", I asked before they could begin responding to our response.
The translator said this to them quietly, and Putin and Kasyanov looked at each other for a moment, and the Putin said, in heavily accented English, "Please."
"Thank you." I nodded towards Colin and said, "Secretary Powell and I have considered your interests, as previously stated, and we would like you to consider a possibly different future. We cannot change the past..." Well, you can, as I discovered, but better to not bring that up. " ... but we can change the future. Perhaps if the United States were to step back from urging additional eastern expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, perhaps then your nation might ease on your legitimate concerns over your citizens in the Baltic region." And there we were; let's dicker.
Putin and Kasyanov looked at each other, and now there was a glimmer of interest on their faces. We could have sat there for two days arguing past history and who was right and wrong. None of that mattered. Fix the damn problem. If we backed down and they backed down, and gave each other a little bit of face saving, we could get to something much more important. We spent the rest of the afternoon discussing various complaints related to our positions, but it was meaningless. Likewise, Putin and Kasyanov wanted us to shut up about any human rights violations regarding Chechnya and Dagestan. I snorted out a laugh and told him bluntly that after 9-11 they could do whatever they wanted to the bastards, and that we had some suggestions for the next day's meeting regarding our mutual problems with radicals and terrorists.
There would be no agreements to sign on this. The proof was in the pudding, and would take effect after we got home. At the next NATO meeting, we would announce that we considered further expansion 'premature at this time' and add a few other weaselly comments. Likewise, we could pay attention to how bellicose the Russians remained over the Baltics, and know if they were backing down. A few quiet words to our ambassadors in those nations might ratchet down the tensions. We would never get them to love each other, but maybe we could get them to stop yelling as loud.
The afternoon ended with considerable surprise, however. The plan for the evening was to attend the Bolshoi ballet after dinner with the Putins, and that had been known since the trip was planned. However, he gave me a curious look and asked, "I understand you are a patron of the symphony back in your home. Is that correct?"
My eyes widened at that, and I nodded. "Yes, that is true. I have helped to support the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for many years. Baltimore is a city near Washington, and I grew up and live very close to it.", I explained to the others at the table.