For more than two decades, Russian President Vladimir Putin has worked to manipulate American presidents through flattery, psychological games, and carefully crafted narratives, according to a report by The Times published on March 21.
From Bill Clinton to Donald Trump, Putin has employed a range of tactics to build personal rapport, gain leverage, or quietly undermine the credibility of his counterparts—depending on the leader and the moment.
Russian President Vladimir Putin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S. President George W. Bush, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The First Encounter: Clinton in St. Petersburg
Putin's earliest known interaction with a U.S. president came in 1996, when then-President Bill Clinton visited St. Petersburg.
Clinton’s team recalled being shuffled through the city in an armored car, rushed to a windowless restaurant, and cut off from the public—a move later attributed to a then-obscure deputy mayor named Vladimir Putin.
According to Strobe Talbott, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, many U.S. officials first heard of Putin during that visit. Though his motivations at the time remain unclear, experts believe his KGB training in psychological profiling played a role in his approach to foreign dignitaries.
Former President Bill Clinton and Vladimir Putin in 2000. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Putin’s Charm Offensive—and Selective Contempt
Over the years, three U.S. presidents—Clinton, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump—have spoken publicly about their surprisingly positive relationships with Putin.
Clinton described their interactions as “blunt” but constructive.
Bush famously remarked after their 2001 summit in Slovenia that he had “looked the man in the eye” and “got a sense of his soul.”
That impression, The Times reports, was heavily shaped by a personal story Putin told about his mother’s Orthodox cross surviving a house fire—a tale some U.S. officials, including Condoleezza Rice, later questioned.
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump meet at the 2017 G-20 Hamburg Summit. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Trump, meanwhile, repeatedly praised Putin in public, even amid accusations that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. This mutual admiration puzzled many in the West, especially given the broader deterioration in U.S.-Russia relations during Trump's presidency.
In sharp contrast, Barack Obama and Joe Biden received no such overtures.
Putin showed open contempt for both, frequently criticizing their policies and making no effort to build personal ties, according to the report.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin meeting with US President Joseph Biden via videoconference in 2021. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
From Spycraft to Street Smarts
Though much has been made of Putin’s KGB background, some observers believe his real political instincts were shaped later, during his time navigating criminal and political networks in 1990s St. Petersburg.
“Putin was not some kind of bright, outstanding [KGB] employee,” said Gennady Gudkov, a former KGB colonel and current opposition figure. “His instincts were shaped by dealings with gangsters and corrupt officials, not spy novels.”
Putin’s tactics, analysts say, often hinge more on emotional manipulation and a keen ability to read personalities than on traditional intelligence operations.
The report’s release coincides with fresh developments in US-Russia diplomacy.
On March 24, Russian state media TASS confirmed that high-level delegations from both countries met secretly at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The talks were closed to journalists, with Saudi state security guarding the venue—a sign of the sensitivity surrounding any diplomatic engagement between Washington and Moscow amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and heightened geopolitical tension.
