Last Dance in Sochi for Outgoing Presidents
SOCHI, Krasnodar Region — President George W. Bush and his host, President Vladimir Putin, didn’t allow what have been strained relations and a host of unresolved issues between their countries to put a damper on their last dinner together.
Instead, they danced.
During a dinner on Bush’s arrival at Putin’s official summer home in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, the two leaders not only enjoyed the fare but also even took part in the entertainment.
“An unbelievably good dinner,” was how Bush described it to reporters Sunday.
So good that Putin and Bush climbed up onstage to dance to the music of the Russian and Cossack folk ensembles that performed for them at the dinner.
Daniel Fried, U.S. assistant secretary of state for European affairs, was also called up and “seemed to know what he was doing,” Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
They did a “Russian version of the African move,” Perino told reporters, explaining later on the sidelines of the presidents’ Sunday meeting that Bush danced in a similar manner on a trip to Africa.
And it seems that it was the power of the moment that dragged them up on stage, not the more traditional Russian power of the drink. Perino said she couldn’t speak for Putin, who is known for drinking only in moderation, but that Bush didn’t drink anything except water and Diet Coke.
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Monday, April 7th, 2008 at 5:16 pm under