The Rookie and the Pro

After their first meeting in 2001, Mr. Bush said famously that he had looked into the eyes of Mr. Putin and “got a sense of his soul.”

At the Pentagon, Mr. Gates was asked whether he trusted Mr. Putin anymore, and he paused before responding. “ ‘Anymore’ is an interesting add,” he said. “I have never believed that one should make national security policy on the basis of trust. I think you make national security policy based on interests and on realities.”

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