Putin Shows His Contempt for Rules in Small Ways as Well as Large

Paul Goble

            Staunton, December 16 – Vladimir Putin has regularly displayed his contempt for international laws he doesn’t like, but he also continues to violate the principles of good manners as when yesterday he kept the prime minister of Japan waiting for three hours, something that is the height of bad behavior as far as the Japanese are concerned.

            Unfortunately, this is nothing exceptional for the Kremlin leader who has routinely shown his contempt for others confident that they will tolerate it because of his importance and power and because even when it is obvious that his arrogance is a tactic, all too many have (charter97.org/ru/news/2016/12/15/234538/).

                Below is a list of world leaders who have been kept waiting by the self-important ruler of Russia:

Angela Merkel, 2014, 4 hours 15 minutes

Viktor Yanukovich, 2012, four hours

Yuliya Timoshenko, 2009, three hours

John Kerry, 2009, three hours

Aleksandr Lukashenka, 2013, three hours

Shinzo Abe, 2016, three hours

Tskhiagiyi Elbegdorzh, 2014, two hours

Shimon Pers, 2013, one hour 30 minutes

The UN General Assembly, 2015, one hour, 20 minutes

Narendra Modi, 2014, one hour

The Normandy Four, one hour

Pope Francis, 2015, 50 minutes

Tarya Halonen, 2014, 40 minutes

Karl XVI Gustaf, 2011, 40 minutes

Barack Obama, 2012, 40 minutes

Elizabeth II, 2013, 34 minutes