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----- Original Message -----

From: Weisman, Jonathan <Jonathan.Weisman@wsj.com>
To: Alexander, Elizabeth; Dudley, Amy; Allen, Elizabeth M.
Sent: Wed Mar 09 08:57:27 2011
Subject: VPOTUS pool report #2

After a closed press meet and greet with US Embassy staff and a lunch
with US business leaders, motorcade rolled out at 2:45 pm to Skolkovo,
billed as the Silicon Valley of Russia. The gleaming, glass-and-steel
management school would be more like an anchor to technology
development than a producer of technology, but it is impressive.

Pool was whisked in just after 3 to watch the leaders of Aeroflot and
Boeing ink a $2 billion deal for the purchase of six Boeing 777-300 ER
jetliners and two 777-200 ERs. The first four 300 ERs are to be
delivered in 2013 to assist in long-haul transport for the Winter
Olympics in Sochi, Russia. VPOTUS hailed this as "a very good day,"
... "good for both our countries, good for both companies."

"It will create high-tech jobs here in Russia and at home, it will
sustain 11,000 jobs," VPOTUS said.

In attendance was Sergey Kravchenko, CEO of Boeing-Russia, and Vitaly
Saveliev, general director of Aeroflot.

"Congratulations, gentlemen," VPOTUS said after the contract was signed.

Next came a roundtable discussion with US and Russian business leaders.
VPOTUS reiterated what he called strong US support for Russia's
accession to the World Trade Organization but said stronger economic
ties between the two countries will depend on a strengthening of the
rule of law in Russia.

International businesses are seeking "assurances that the legal system
treats them fairly and acts on their concerns swiftly," VPOTUS said,
sitting at the head of a horse-shoe of tables in a lecture
amphitheater.

He pledged to work with Russian authorities and businesses to rout out
"endemic corruption" holding back the innovation agenda promoted by
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

VPOTUS said trade negotiators are "making real progress" toward
Russia's WTO accession and on bilateral issues such as agricultural
trade impediments and intellectual property rights.

He reiterated support for the lifting of Jackson-Vanick trade
restrictions instituted during the Cold War, and he called for
stronger efforts by Russia to ease the difficulties of obtaining visas
for US business officials.

"We have a deep respect for the full talent of the Russian people," he said.

VPOTUS said he has been coming here since 1973.

"I look forward to coming back when this is a rival of Silicon
Valley," he concluded.

Before he spoke, Klaus Kleinfeld, CEO of ALCOA, urged "issues from the
business side be taken on by the political side."

Around the table from left to right were Vitaliy Saveliev of Aeroflot,
Edward Verona of the US-Russia Business Council, Aleksandr Abramov of
EvrazHolding, Charles Ryan of UFG, Anatoliy Chubais of Rusnano,
Arkadiy Volozh of Yandex. James Turley of Ernst & Young, Drew Guff of
Suguler Guff, Alexey Sitnikov of the Skolkovo Foundation, First Deputy
Prime Minister of Russia Igor Shuvalov, VPOTUS, Klaus Kleinfeld of
ALCOA, Herman Gref of Sberbank, Samuel Allen of Deere & Co., Dmitry
Pumpyanskiy of TMK, Alexander Galitsky of Almaz Capital Partners,
Vladimir Lisin of Novolipetsk Steel, Zakhar Smushkin of ILIM Group,
David Yakobashvili of Wimm-Bill-Dann Food Products and Sergey
Kravchenko of Boeing.


Jonathan Weisman
Wall Street Journal

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