The final words of the Russian President Vladimir Putin were in English – “And next time in Moscow.” He also said “thank you so much” in English at the end of his summit with Trump.
And suddenly, Putin speaking in English was the headline all over. Is it a surprise that a former intelligence officer with the Soviet Union’s security service, the KGB – speaks fluents English? Absolutely not! But the Russian president still uses a translator for English during all the diplomatic meetings.
Moreover, the Russian president also speaks German. During his days as a KGB officer during the Cold War, Putin was posted to Dresden, which was then East Germany.
In 2017, the Kremlin said that Putin understands English “almost completely” and even corrects his interpreters, according to Russia’s Izvestia newspaper.
Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said that Putin “most often speaks English, but when negotiations are conducted and when an official meeting is taking place, of course, he communicates through interpreters.
“I myself have been translating at the highest level for a long time, so I know what kind of stress it is,” Peskov said.
Why the translator?
Using a translator at high-level meetings allows politicians like Putin to be diplomatic. For example, when Putin was heading for the meeting along with Trump on the red carpet, several media people asked whether he would “stop killing civilians.” The Russian president shrugged off the question and acted as if he either did not hear it or could not understand it.
Putin is a pro at being multilingual
During an interview with CNN in 2008 about the conflict in Georgia, most of the time, Putin spoke in English.
In 2013, Putin issue a long-vieo message announcing Russia’s bid to host the 2020 World Expo in the central city of Yekaterinburg – in English.
Earlier this year, Putin had a video conference with a German man who was seeking citizenship in Russia. Putin was seen speaking pretty fluent German to him.