Lateness has long been an integral part of the business etiquette of Vladimir Putin. The fact that the president could delay important negotiations for several hours had to get used to both world leaders and Russian officials.
The former wife of the head of state Lyudmila Putin in her memoirs complained that he managed to be late even on dates. Once again, the topic of non-punctuality of the president became the subject of discussion today, on November 30, during opening climate summit in Paris.
“Forum” tried to figure out to whom Vladimir Putin was late and for how long.
Late time: 1 hour.
When: June 2015 of the year.
“Indeed, the visit to the Pope took place somewhat later than planned. This was due to the fact that the negotiations in Milan were somewhat delayed and the motorcade moved somewhat more slowly through the streets of Milan and Rome,” said Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov, explaining the reasons for the boss’s lateness. The delays were “broadcast and coordinated with the Vatican court,” a Kremlin spokesman assured.
In Putin's motorcade there were 13 cars, the president himself was driving to the pontiff in a long limousine. The meeting eventually lasted 50 minutes and was held in a friendly atmosphere. Putin and Francis exchanged gifts.
The Russian leader is not the first time late for the Pope. At the previous meeting in November 2013, the president arrived with a shift in schedule in 50 minutes. Italian media have suggested that the negotiations were delayed because of the action of supporters of the punk band Pussy Riot, whose participants at that time were in prison. In the Kremlin, however, the version of the journalists was not confirmed.
How to make the queen wait
To whom was late: Queen of England Elizabeth II.
Late time: 12 minutes.
When: June 2003 of the year.
The most modest, but sensational lateness of Putin happened, according to the Kremlin delegation, because of traffic jams in London.
However, royal etiquette does not justify punctuality under any circumstances - the Queen herself, for example, arrived at the meeting exactly five minutes before her intended start.
The explanations of the Russian side did not suit the British public also because, as sources claimed, Putin was provided with a “green corridor” in the capital of the United Kingdom, which in no way implied getting into traffic jams.
Without German punctuality
To whom was late: German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Late time: 4 hours 15 minutes.
When: October 2014 of the year.
Negotiations between Putin and Merkel at the 10th summit of the Asia-Europe Forum in Milan took place only for the second time.
A spokesman for the Russian leader, Dmitry Peskov, explained that the president had been late in Belgrade, so the meeting originally scheduled for 21: 00 had to be canceled. As a result, Putin's conversation with Merkel began in 23: 15 local time.
Before this, the Chancellor held talks in his issue with the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, noted Spiegel magazine.
Putin is late for meetings with Merkel on a regular basis. In 2012, for example, he made her wait for an audience of 40 minutes.
What offended Barack Obama and his assistants
To whom was late: US President Barack Obama.
Tardiness: 40 minutes.
When: June 2012 of the year.
At the G2012 summit in Mexico in XNUMX, Putin kept US President Barack Obama waiting.
Later, the ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recalled this to the Russian leader: according to her, the latecomer did not apologize and made it clear that he was bored at the meeting with his American counterpart.
“He is a very tough person. Very arrogant. He often behaves as if he doesn’t care about his interlocutor,” summed up the former head of the US diplomatic corps.
How to piss off American media
To whom was late: US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Late time: 3 hours.
When: May 2013.
Putin made Kerry wait three hours for the start of negotiations on the Syrian conflict, British tabloid reporters The Daily Mail were outraged. The reason for the delay was not voiced, which allowed the American press to accuse the Russian president of violating the protocol and etiquette.
Kerry himself did not demonstrate any dissatisfaction and conducted the meeting “in a friendly tone.” Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, later said: “This often happens in the diplomatic environment, but if you managed to get an audience with President Putin, I don’t understand what else you can complain about after that.”
How to lull the Prime Minister with anticipation
To whom was late: Indian Prime Minister Narendre Damodardas Modi.
Late time: 1 hour.
When: July 2014 of the year.
Kommersant special correspondent Andrei Kolesnikov, who regularly accompanies the president on trips, called the Indian Prime Minister’s act “the first act of retribution for Vladimir Putin’s lateness.”
Without waiting for the head of the Russian state, with whom he was supposed to talk at 20:00 as part of the BRICS summit, Modi simply went to bed: it turned out that “he has a regime.” Instead of the Indian prime minister, who had fallen asleep, the Kremlin delegation had to urgently call South African President Jacob Zuma to a meeting with Putin - he, by the way, was awake and closed the gap in his Russian colleague’s schedule.
How Yanukovych suffered because of the “Night Wolves”
To whom was late: members of the Ukrainian-Russian interstate commission.
Late time: 4 hours.
When: July 2012 of the year.
Already late for a meeting with Viktor Yanukovych in Crimea, Putin, on the way from the airport, decided to deviate from the route and stop at the local branch of the Night Wolves biker club to talk with the leader of the organization, the Surgeon.
As a result, at that time, the legitimate president of Ukraine had to wait four hours for the Russian colleague. Political opponents of Yanukovych did not fail to criticize the head of their state for diplomatic softness.
True, some of them also know first-hand the non-punctuality of Putin: Yulia Tymoshenko, when she was prime minister of Ukraine in 2009, waited three hours for the Russian leader at the talks in Yalta.
How to check the patience of the Mongols
To whom was late: President of Mongolia Tsahiagiin Elbegdorzh.
Late time: 2 hours.
When: September 2014 year.
Putin flew to Mongolia on the occasion of the 75 anniversary of the victory of the Soviet and Mongolian troops at Khalkhin Gol. The arrival of its board was scheduled for 12 hours of the day, however, the airliner landed at the airport of Ulaanbaatar, Genghis Khan, with a delay of 120 minutes. From there, the president went to the central square of the capital of Mongolia, where Elbegdorzh and the guard of honor were waiting for him. As a result, the event began in 14: 50. Officially, the reasons for the late arrival of the Russian leader were not voiced by his press service. It is only known that the president flew to Ulan Bator from Blagoveshchensk.
How to skip a ruler
To whom was late: students of the school №7 of Kurgan.
Late time: 3 hours 10 minutes.
When: September 2013 year.
Kurgan School No. 7, with whose students the President of Russia was supposed to celebrate September 1, is called “Putin’s”: at the instigation of the head of state, the Ministry of Finance allocated 180 million rubles for the renovation of the educational institution. However, Putin did not come to the line; instead, Governor Oleg Bogomolov and ex-Minister of Education Andrei Fursenko arrived.
The president, who was very late, eventually met with the graduating class, whose students had been waiting for the distinguished guest in one of the offices all this time. Putin talked to teenagers about the future and gave them some instructions.
However, what made this visit discussed was not the lateness of the head of state - a common thing - but the extraordinary drawing of Putin in the computer science room. The politician drew a strange figure on the school board, explaining: “Cat - back view,” and immediately left the class.
How to make investors wait from abroad
To whom was late: to foreign investors.
Late time: more 2 hours.
When: 20 June 2013 of the year.
Putin was two hours late for a meeting at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum with the Business Twenty, which unites representatives of the business communities of the G20 countries.
All this time, hundreds of foreign top managers were waiting for the Russian leader in a crowded hall. Upon arrival, the president decided to cheer up the audience with a joke, comparing the name of the “green book” of proposals for economic development with the expression “green serpent,” and explained the shift in schedule due to protracted bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the forum.
In the same tone, he announced another of his delays - to representatives of the largest investment funds: “They were already waiting for me there [at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna], and if I don’t come in the next half hour, they will start on Russian caviar and vodka, and Then we won’t be able to have a conversation with them at all.”
How to anger the Koreans
To whom was late: South Korean President Pak Geun-hye.
Late time: 30 minutes.
When: November 2013 of the year.
At the end of 2013, during a visit to Seoul, the Russian leader once again shocked the Koreans by disregarding the schedule.
“Mr. Putin, be on time next time,” the Korea Times newspaper demanded of the foreign guest. This is how the editors reacted to the fact that South Korean President Park Geun-hye had to wait 30 minutes for her Russian colleague.
And Putin, even knowing that he was already late, did not deny himself the pleasure of talking with the masters of martial arts. In the Korea Times, this behavior was interpreted as disrespect. According to the newspaper, despite the tired and frankly dissatisfied look of Park Geun-hye, Putin did not apologize and did not explain the reasons for his delay.
It was not for the first time that the Russian president made the Koreans wait. In September of 2013, he was late for a meeting with Pak Geun-hye at the G20 summit by two hours, and in November of the same year by 30 minutes.
To Israel without haste
To whom was late: participants of the opening ceremony of the memorial in Netanya.
Late time: 90 minutes.
When: June 2013 of the year.
In June 2013, Putin made “all the upper echelons of the Israeli government” languish in anticipation, arriving “to greet him as warmly and solemnly as possible” at the opening of a monument to Soviet soldiers who died in the fight against the Nazis, the Haaretz newspaper wrote.
Veterans of the Great Patriotic War also waited in the heat for an hour and a half. “Putin was 90 minutes late, but this is not an exceptional case: he was once late for an audience with the Queen of England,” the publication consoled readers. Initially, it was assumed that the monument would be inaugurated in the presence of Putin on May 9, 2012. But the schedule did not allow the Russian President to arrive in Israel on Victory Day.
Waiting instead of a military operation
To whom was late: servicemen of the 31 Guards Air Assault Brigade.
Late time: 7 hours.
When: August 2012 of the year.
The servicemen of the 31 Guards Air Assault Brigade would have had time to wait for Putin to repeat the landing operation of the advanced detachment of the landing force in Feodosiya (Kerch-Feodosiya landing operation in 1941), the Esquire edition joked about the record lateness of the president. Judging by the text of the president’s official address to the paratroopers published on the Kremlin’s website, he didn’t apologize for lack of punctuality.
How to break the schedule of the king
To whom was late: King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustav.
Late time: 30 minutes.
When: April 2011 years.
Putin arrived at the reception with the King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustav, 30 minutes late in his usual armored Mercedes Long-Long, wrote Kommersant special correspondent Andrei Kolesnikov. The Russian leader “stopped in front of a tiny, especially compared to the Mercedes, Volvo S-40” - it turned out to be the car of the King of Sweden, who was also driving. After the reception, Putin stayed for 40 minutes with Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and left for the airport later than planned, causing traffic jams unprecedented in Stockholm, reported Svenska Dagbladet.
Forces of Nature vs Premiere
To whom was late: PRC State Council Chairman Wen Jiabao.
Late time: unknown
When: January 2009 year.
Putin had a busy schedule at the Davos 2009 forum of the year. In addition to the Chairman of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, he set up meetings with four more leaders from different countries and intended to meet in a few hours.
The prime minister (at that time Putin headed the government) was going to arrive in Davos from Zurich by helicopter. His Chinese colleague chose a more democratic method of transportation - he used a commuter train. As a result, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov was forced to explain that “for technical reasons” the meeting between Putin and Wen Jiabao did not take place.
Politicians were prevented by the fog, which did not allow the helicopter with the Russian leader on board to rise into the air. In Davos, he eventually traveled to the Alpine passes by car.
Frozen King
To whom was late: the royal couple of Spain.
Late time: 20 minutes.
When: February 2006 of the year.
King of Spain Juan Carlos I and his wife, Queen Sofia, appeared on the square in front of the palace of El Pardo, where the state visit of Vladimir and Lyudmila Putin should begin, at 13: 15 local time, a quarter of an hour before the start of the ceremony. It was about five degrees Celsius, and the couple of monarchs was not dressed for the weather. They had to freeze in anticipation of Putin, who was late for this meeting at 20 minutes. The expectation was overshadowed by the fact that some royal guardsmen became ill.
Closed sky
To whom was late: Finnish President Tarja Halonen.
Late time: 40 minutes.
When: December 2004 year.
Borth Halonen, who flew to St. Petersburg to meet with Putin in December 2012, circled over the city 40 minutes. The dispatchers did not allow the landing, because, according to the agreement, the Russian president’s airliner first had to land, and he, as usual, was late. After the meeting, which took place in the Konstantinovsky Palace, Halonen invited Putin to Finland. When he arrived in Helsinki with a return visit, he again managed to be late - for two full hours.
How to tire your pool of journalists
To whom was late: journalists premiere pool.
Late time: 8 hours.
When: Autumn 2008 of the year.
In the fall of 2008, journalists from the Kremlin pool were urgently summoned to Putin’s country residence in Novo-Ogarevo. For several hours they were told that an important announcement would be made. Finally, at about 4:00 a.m., Putin came out to reporters and said that he had gathered them to show the Ussuri tiger cub he had donated. “Today’s events are not a public event, but a personal one. Our only request is to be quiet, don’t make noise, don’t rattle, don’t scream,” he warned.
