Putin and Medvedev - A Purely Platonic Power Couple - NYTimes.com

Putin and Medvedev - A Purely Platonic Power Couple - NYTimes.com
 By CLIFFORD J. LEVY Published: April 26, 2010

During a visit to Italy, Mr. Putin mocked a question from an Italian reporter who wanted him to explain the secrets to success in a “political marriage.” Mr. Putin has led Russia jointly with Mr. Medvedev for the past two years, after term limits prevented Mr. Putin from running for a third consecutive term as president.
Mr. Putin said the question had been phrased “in a very literary way.”
“Mr. Medvedev and I are people of a traditional orientation,” Mr. Putin said. “I can tell you this with complete certainty. As for marital unions, you have exaggerated a bit. But we are friends, friends for many years, I have already said this. And the way that we have arranged our work today — it seems to me, we can be proud of this.”
Mr. Putin was speaking at a news conference with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, with whom he has long had a close (working) relationship.
When it was his turn to speak, Mr. Berlusconi added his own quip.
“I have experience in many areas: in urban planning, in publishing, in sports, in television, in public works,” Mr. Berlusconi said. “But I have not done so well with regards to marriage, so I will not begin to give advice.”

Mr. Berlusconi has had a stormy personal life, and he and his second wife are divorcing.
Mr. Medvedev was not part of the visit. But in an interview with Danish television that was released by the Kremlin on Monday, Mr. Medvedev acknowledged that he and Mr. Putin did not always agree on everything.
“Despite the similarities in our circumstances, we have had different experiences, and we may have different views on some of the nuances as to how our political system should develop,” Mr. Medvedev said.