Putin Could Meet Georgian Leader at Sochi Olympics

By Reuters

Feb. 7, 2014

BOCHAROV RUCHEI — President Vladimir Putin may meet his Georgian counterpart in Sochi during the Olympic Games, a senior Kremlin official said Thursday, in what would be the first meeting between the two leaders since a brief 2008 war.

Georgian President Georgi Margvelashvili, who replaced Mikheil Saakashvili last year, has promised to press ahead with European integration efforts in the former Soviet South Caucasus nation, which Moscow wants to keep under its influence.

Asked about a meeting between Putin and Margvelashvili, who will be among the 65 world leaders to attend the Games which start this Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that a meeting during the Games was possible.

"This has not been ruled out. He is our guest," Peskov told reporters.

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