Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:
Vladimir Putin: Dear Henry, I am very pleased to see you. I know that you have met some of my Russian colleagues here – economists and leaders of various levels of the administration. We have long enjoyed very warm relations with you. I consider you to be one of the finest experts, in Russian-American relations amongst other things. I am very pleased to see you! Welcome.
Henry Kissinger (via interpreter): Thank you Mr Prime Minister. We do indeed have a very good and long-standing relationship, we meet often. And I have learnt a lot from you personally. The relationship that exists between our countries – Russia and the United States – is one of the key relationships between nations in the world. I hope that this relationship will continue to grow and improve in the coming months and years. And I would like to thank you personally for your kind attitude, which has allowed me to come back to Russia many times.