INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Putin and Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune.Moderating the discussion was Dmitri Simes, a conservative U.S
attract anyone of the same profile, a government official familiar with the preparations for SPIEF told The Moscow Times, a claim confirmed
by a former Kremlin official.Both requested anonymity to speak freely, as neither was authorized in their roles to speak to the
before its cancellation in April, has long been a favorite of Russian propaganda for his controversial comments and promotion of conspiracy
Fox News, leading pro-Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov made an unsuccessful attempt to invite him on his show on the state-run Rossiya
follow-up questions.Selecting a moderator for a plenary session with whom Putin will hold dialogue is always a special task that involves
the Kremlin, among others
Working out the shortlist of names always begins long before the forum, a Russian government official involved in the preparations told The
will ask questions as coherent and comfortable as possible
out to the very last minute in an effort to stir intrigue
In recent years, he has co-hosted a political show on Russian state broadcaster Channel One
He previously headed the Center for the National Interest think tank in Washington, published the conservative magazine The National
Interest, and appeared in the Mueller report on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S
during the SPIEF plenarysession in 2018.However, with the ongoing war in Ukraine, an independent and out-of-control moderator could have
posed a problem, officials admitted."The president likes to spice up the discussion, but he probably has a certain limit to his sensitivity,
