September 19, 2023

President Bush and Putin's Chef


President Bush and Putin's Chef
Vladimir Putin with George W. Bush, 2007. The White House.

The 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush, revealed that he met Yevgeny Prigozhin, the late founder of PMC Wagner, nearly two decades ago.

As reported by Business Insider, Bush recently attended the Yalta European Strategy Conference, a forum for discussing the future of Ukraine in a European and global context. There, he was asked whether he was taken aback by the news regarding Prigozhin’s death.

He responded, "No, what's shocking to me is I saw a picture the other day of a G8 summit in St. Petersburg, where he was the guy serving me the food," Bush said, “He was Putin's chef, and he was in the picture.”

Bush also admitted to having no recollection of personally meeting Prigozhin. "All I know is that I survived,” he joked.

In the photograph dated July 14, 2006, a younger Prigozhin is seen serving a drink to President Bush and his wife, Laura, while they sit across from Vladimir Putin. It took place at the 32nd G8 summit and the first with Russia hosting. During that period, Prigozhin had garnered the moniker "Putin's chef," due to his role in providing catering services to the Russian leader. His company, Concord, was often hired to host state banquets.

The G8 was an annual gathering of leaders from eight countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with the President of the European Commission. Meetings of the group stopped in 2014, due to Russia's initial invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea.

You Might Also Like

Wagner Group Still Allowed
  • June 26, 2023

Wagner Group Still Allowed

After Wagner Group's uprising, the State Duma announced new regulations, but did not ban the organization.
Prigozhin's Uprising
  • June 24, 2023

Prigozhin's Uprising

Russia's home-grown mercenaries have taken over Rostov-on-Don and threaten to march on the capital.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955