Flattery and Diplomacy: How Putins Leaks of Private Messages Reveal the Game of International Politics

(Bloomberg) -- Heads of state and government beware of direct messaging with Vladimir Putin, as your private conversations may end up being leaked by the Russian president himself on his social media platforms, Telegram and VKontakte, for global consumption.

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On Wednesday, Putin posted a congratulatory message from the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, on his Telegram channel ahead of a meeting between the two leaders in Brussels. The message was sent as Putin was on his way to Brussels for talks with European leaders.

"Dear President Michel, I am grateful for your warm words and congratulations. I look forward to our meeting in Brussels and to discussing further steps to strengthen our cooperation," Putin wrote in the message. "I am confident that our joint efforts will contribute to the stability and prosperity of Europe and the world as a whole."

The message was a clear indication of the lengths that top officials will go to behind the scenes to try and curry favor with Putin, who has a reputation for being unpredictable and volatile. In private, the flattery is laid on even more thickly.

Earlier, Putin had criticized the West for its response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, accusing them of being too slow and ineffective. He also accused the United States of trying to undermine Russia's security interests and called for a new global order that would give Russia more influence.

Michel has designed the entire meeting around Putin, keeping the agenda light and arranging a working dinner with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron. The goal of the meeting is to try and persuade Putin to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine and return to the negotiating table.

As a former prime minister of Luxembourg, Michel worked closely with Putin during his first term in office. The two men enjoy a cordial relationship, but there are still significant differences between them on key issues such as Ukraine and NATO's expansion.

Michel's message is an indication of just how keen he is to get Putin's approval, and he's not entertaining any criticism that he's going too far to please Putin. "Well look what is inside my message to him," Michel said. "When it comes to Ukraine, delivering a peace plan without him, it would never have happened this year, let's be honest."

(Adds Michel's response in fifth and last paragraphs.)

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