In April 2025, a text allegedly taken from the autobiographical book of the ex-president of the United States and devoted to his impressions from communication with Russian politicians spread. We decided to check if he wrote something like that.
The text is published and discussed by users of social networks (Facebook, X, "VKontakte" Instagram, Telegram, Threads, Reddit), Platform blog And forums. The completely statement attributed to Obama sounds like this (copyright spelling and punctuation are preserved. - Approx. Ed.): “I cannot understand the Russian character. I met with Russian politicians many times. The Russian brazenly falls and looks into your eyes and knows that you see this lie and is not at all ashamed. Lies are exactly what is pursuing Russian power everywhere. At all meetings with Russian politicians, I got the impression that all of them were important only a monologue, and your comments or objections are not at all interesting. And at best, they give a few words on the camera. In the face of the face, I only listened to those with whom I met. As soon as he had time to say hello and start saying something, the endless monologue immediately began, in which all claims to the United States and discontent from different sides were detailed and tough. Russian politicians reminded me of people who once seasoned with the Chicago mafia during the "Great Depression" in America. Being the President of the United States and dealing with politicians of different levels in Russia, I understood that I have to communicate not with highly educated people, but with educated street, harsh, devoid of any sentiments, narrow -minded types that never went beyond their limited experience and which always appreciated the roof, bribes, deception, deception, and, periodically arising, as if arising, as if arising, as if. Legal methods of their activities. There is no diplomatic language for Russian politicians at all, there is a pressing to the wall and the language of “their concepts”. Turning to the Russians in the hall, I said that America cannot and should not fight for them, that the fate of Russia is their business; But I added that I would root for them, being firmly convinced that all people strive for the principles of human rights, the rule of law and self -government. ” Separate fragments of this statement appear on the page of the ex-president of the United States in "Wikitate".
In many viral publications, in contrast to numerous other cases, when Internet users attribute certain quotes to famous personalities, it is indicated where exactly this statement was taken: from the 10th head of the Obama Autobiography A Promized Land ("The Earth of the Promised" - English). Some even clarify the weekend of the book, mentioning the Penguin Random House publishing house and 2020. However, this chapter does not say anything about Russian politicians and Russia as a whole. Obama It talks about the difficulties that he had to face in the first months of his presidency. The politician took office shortly after the 2008 financial crisis, and he had to quickly take emergency measures to support the national economy.
In other chapters, Obama really shares his impressions of meetings and negotiations with Russian counterparts - Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev. The ex-president of the United States really criticizes his foreign colleagues, but does it much more diplomatically than approved in the audited publications.
So, in the 19th chapter of his autobiography, Obama notes that under Putin Russia is following the path of authoritarianism. The American politician tells how over time all power was in the hands of the approximate Russian president, and his critics and opposition were subjected to repression. Obama describes his meeting with Putin in 2009 (he then held the post of prime minister): “I barely managed to end the question (that Putin thinks about Russian-American relations.-Approx. Ed.), As Putin went into a lively and seemingly endless monologue, describing every supposed injustice, betrayal and neglect, which he and the Russian people and the Russian people They underwent at the hands of the Americans ”(hereinafter, the quotes are given in the translation“ verified ”).
Later on the same day, Obama took part in the summit of the democratic leaders of Russia and the United States, which was organized by the then American ambassador to Moscow, Michael McFol. In an autobiography, the politician recalls how he was asked about his impressions of meeting with Putin and how he joked, but thought: “Putin, in fact, reminded me of the people who once managed Chicago machine or Tammani-Hall (The Executive Committee of the Democratic Party in New York in the XIX-XX centuries, known for its relations with organized crime and the use of corruption to solve political tasks.-approx. Ed.),-harsh, smart, intentional characters who knew what they knew, which never went beyond their narrow experience and that considered patronage, bribery, bribery, bribery, bribery, bribery, bribery, bribery, bribery, bribery, bribery extortion, fraud and periodic violence as legal trading tools. For them, as for Putin, life was a game with a zero sum; You could do business with those who did not belong to your tribe, but in the end you could not trust them. You took care of yourself first, and then about yours. In such a world, the lack of conscience, contempt for any exalted aspirations that go beyond the accumulation of power were not a drawback. They were an advantage. " This statement is close to one of the parts of the dismantled quote, but Obama here compares Putin not with the mafia, but with the American politicians of the 20th century, adhering to a rigid style of political struggle. In addition, we are talking specifically about Putin, and not about Russian politicians as a whole.
At the end of the summit, Obama writes, he made a speech to the activists, human rights activists, and the leaders of non -profit and charitable organizations at the event. In an autobiography, he describes this: “Getting up, finally, in order to speak, I praised the people in the hall for their courage and selflessness and called them to focus not only on democracy and civil rights, but also on specific strategies to provide jobs, education, healthcare and worthy housing. Turning to the Russians in the hall, I said that America cannot and should not fight for them, that the future of Russia should be determined by them; But I added that I would root for them, being firmly convinced that all people strive for the principles of human rights, the rule of law and self -government. ” Thus, the last part of the dispensed quote is close to the real statements of Obama, but it is torn from the context. The viral text gives the impression that the American politician is disappointed with communication with false and corrupt Russian politicians and warns them that the United States will not fight for the prosperity of Russia. In fact, it was an inspirational speech, spoken to the activists, about whom Obama writes with great respect: "I was glad that I could, albeit for a short time, raise the spirit to good people who perform heavy and sometimes dangerous work."
It was not possible to find the first part of the quote in the book the first part of the quote, which refers to the false Russian politicians. The closest statement is found in the 14th chapter of Obama's autobiography, where he describes his conversation with Medvedev about the Russian invasion of Georgia in August 2008. Although Medvedev in dialogue adhered to a publicly declared position of Russia and expressed arguments in favor of the legitimacy of Moscow’s actions, Obama thought that his substitute not only did not believe in his words, but also wanted his American colleague to understand this too. The ex-president of the United States claims that this situation reminded him of statements writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn about Soviet times: "Lies have become not only a moral category, but also a state pillar." This fragment is very far from what is attributed to Obama in viral posts, and in addition, he again refers to a specific person (this time to Medvedev), and not to all Russian politicians.
Despite the fact that Obama’s autobiography, which was logical, was published in English, in the English -language segment of the Internet, the analyzed statement is extremely rare. Single publications In this language, they are mainly written by users who, apparently, have Russian and simply transferred a quote into English. It could be assumed that it is taken from Russian translation (Apparently, amateur) Obama autobiography, which can be found in Runet. However, it turned out that it turned out that the real fragments disassembled above coincide almost literally, and the first part of the quote about false Russian politicians and the Russian character is also absent. “Verified” did not find it in other authoritative sources, for example, in the social networks of Obama or his interview.
It could not be discovered where exactly the text was published for the first time, since many publications at the time of writing the analysis are already not available - despite the fact that not so much time has passed since their appearance. The earliest publication found - fast In Livejournal of August 19, 2023. Then the statement attributed to Obama, apparently, did not attract much attention, but for some reason it began to spread widely a year and a half later. It was not possible to establish whether the text was first published in this post or earlier, but the non -preserved publications were failed. At least the first part, which, apparently, was completely invented, and then attributed to Obama, Meet In social networks back in 2022.
Thus, the quote attributed to Baracu Obama is a compilation from the text of an unknown author, as well as a marked politician noticeably distorted and/or torn from the context of the autobiography. At the same time, all the characteristics that Obama brought in his book were personally given to Putin and Medvedev, and not at all Russian politicians as a whole.
Photo on the cover: kremlin.ru, CC by 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Read on the topic:
- Barack Obama. A Promized Land
- BBC. Obama memoirs: What does the former US president think about Putin, Erdogan, Merkel and other leaders
- Re: Baltica. Obamas Citti Par Krievijas Politiiem IR sagrozti
- Is the recording of a conversation true, during which Obama stated that the Democratic Party of the United States is behind the attempt on Trump?
- Did McFol say that educated Americans share Putin's position in Ukraine?
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