@FreedoingVlad @11112011 @Grandtheftautism @Senator_Armstrong @animeirl @dicey @icedquinn @p Eh. Yes, I was mistaken about the source. I remember it was something from the time there was war in Ossetia, but this and the summit was only tangentially related. The real source was a news article citing W. J. Burns’s book “The Back Channel” (2019). (Burns was the ambassador to Russia in 2005–2008, then assistant secretary of state, and several years later appointed as the head of CIA, – which event the article was highliting.)

And by the way, if you don’t want to work hard, just ask for the source right away. I’ve long stopped to write longposts with references, because no one seems to need them here. 99% of people read 600×400 screencaps with news headlines, without date or URL on them and are happy with that. But true, this time the blame’s on me. The relevant excerpt from the book is below:

> Putin's view of relations with the United States was infused with suspicion, but early on he tested with President Bush a form of partnership suited to his view of Russia's interests. He was the first foreign leader to call Bush after 9/11, and saw an opening through which Russia could become a partner in the Global War on Terrorism. He thought the war on terror would give Russia a better frame in which to operate than the "new world order" that had dominated U.S. policy since the end of the Cold War. The implicit terms of the deal Putin sought included a common front against terrorism, with Russia backing the United States against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan, and Washington backing Moscow's tough tactics against Chechen rebels. Moreover, the United States would grant Russia special influence in the former Soviet Union, with no encroachment by NATO beyond the Baltics, and no interference in Russia's domestic politics. Putin quickly set out to show that he could deliver on his end of the presumed bargain. In the face of considerable misgivings from his own military and security services, he facilitated U.S. military access and transit to Afghanistan through the Central Asian states. As Putin quickly learned, however, this kind of transaction was never in the cards.
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