realstruck
Pro
I refuse to believe Putin can't speak english. He always have some wack as interpreter.
@ 3:22 (but the whole video's worth a watch, Putin is )
Transcript:
For example, Vladimir Putin personally flew to Guatemala City to make the pitch for Russia getting the Olympics in person and when he got there he made that pitch in person in three languages. I`m not sure people were widely aware he speaks languages other than Russian. He doesn`t like to show that off. He`s a nationalist after all, right?
But that July in Guatemala City, Vladimir Putin was like the Rosetta stone. Jean-Claude Killy, the famous French ski champion, he was on the IOC that year and this is what he told the “Associated Press” that summer about what happened with that vote. He basically said the IOC was powerless before Putin`s charm.
Quote, “He worked very hard at it. He was nice. He spoke French. He never speaks French. He spoke English. He never speaks English. The Putin charisma can explain at least four votes.”