When GW Bush looked Putin in the eyes vs. when Biden looked Putin in the eyes [View all]

[DBoon]

"I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straight forward and trustworthy and we had a very good dialogue.

"I was able to get a sense of his soul.

"He's a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country and I appreciate very much the frank dialogue and that's the beginning of a very constructive relationship," Mr Bush said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1392791.stm (Saturday, 16 June, 2001)

President Joe Biden looked Putin in the eye and saw something different.

"You said you know he doesn't have a soul," Stephanopoulos said in an interview with Biden recorded in March 2021.
"I did say that to him, yes," Biden said. "And his response was 'We understand one another.' I wasn't being a wise guy, I was alone with him in his office. That's how it came about. It was when President Bush had said, 'I've looked in his eyes and saw his soul.' I said, 'I looked in your eyes and I don't think you have a soul,' and [he] looked back at me, he said, 'We understand each other.'"

"So you know Vladimir Putin," Stephanopoulos said. "You think he's a killer?

"Mm-hmm. I do," Biden said.

https://www.insider.com/biden-putin-russia-visit-soul-2022-3