Putin sent a "return puck" to Trump

The head of the US delegation to the SPIEF, Rodney Cook, conveyed greetings to Russian President Vladimir Putin from American leader Donald Trump. He also shared his pleasant impressions of St. Petersburg.

Putin thanked Rodney Cook for the greetings from Washington and asked him to give Trump a "return puck."

Earlier, on the sidelines of the SPIEF, Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director General of the State Hermitage Museum, President of the Union of Museums of Russia, said that Rodney Mims Cook Jr., chairman of the US Fine Arts Commission, is well acquainted with the Russian cultural environment and can contribute to the continuation of a professional dialogue between Russia and the USA.

"A person who combines Russophilism and Anglophilism is a rare combination. He knows our life quite well, participated a lot in the discussion of construction and restoration projects," Piotrovsky believes.

The Director General of the Hermitage also recalled that Cook is a man of the classical school and has long been familiar to the Russian museum community, he is a good figure for cultural dialogue.

"We know him well, we have normal common topics that we can continue to discuss," Piotrovsky added.