Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and U.S. Olympic Committee Chairman Larry Probst (center) at USA House in the Olympic Village during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics on February 14
Putin Drops In On American, Canadian Olympians
Russian President Vladimir Putin paid unexpected visits to the U.S. and Canadian teams in Sochi on February 14.
Russian state television broadcast footage showing Putin sipping wine with U.S. Olympic officials in the American House and telling athletes he might attend the much-anticipated ice hockey game between Russia and the United States on February 15.
Putin later visited the Canada Olympic headquarters.
The true cost of Russia's first Olympics in more than three decades, and the most expensive games ever, goes well beyond the hefty $51 billion price tag. Read RFE/RL's Special Report.
He wished the Canadians success -- "but not at all ice hockey tournaments" -- and said he hoped the Russian and the Canadian teams would meet in the final.
Putin earlier this week likened criticism of Russia over the Games to the West's Cold War "containment" of the Soviet Union, but there was no sign of the strains during his impromptu visits.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
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