Translated material
"We'll go ourselves"
The presidents of Russia and Ukraine took part in the retro car rally
Last Friday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovych took part in the International Rally, dedicated to the centenary of the first motor rally for the prize of Emperor Nicholas II on the route St. Petersburg - Kyiv. After the completion of this event, the presidents of Russia and Ukraine held bilateral negotiations. Mr. Medvedev made his rally following the sensational August rally raid of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in a Lada Kalina along the unfinished Khabarovsk-Chita highway.The presidents of Russia and Ukraine joined the rally participants at the 523rd kilometer of the Moscow-Kyiv highway. Mr. Medvedev flew there by helicopter from Bryansk, where he had previously met with Governor Nikolai Denin.
The president discussed food prices with the head of the region, noting that “control cannot be weakened so that no one is spoiled.”
Recalling that he arrived in Bryansk on the day that marked its liberation from the Nazi invaders, the president asked the governor how the provision of housing for veterans was going. The governor said that all veterans who registered before March 1, 2005 have already received housing. About 2 thousand more veterans wished to improve their living conditions in subsequent years, and 946 of them received certificates for new apartments. After this, the president spoke with veterans personally: Dmitry Medvedev met with former partisans from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Transnistria at the Partisanskaya Polyana memorial complex in Bryansk.
Then the president flew to the place where he and his Ukrainian colleague were supposed to join the vintage car rally, which started on September 13 in St. Petersburg. The history of this rally is as follows: although the motor rally that took place a century ago was established by Emperor Nicholas II, the monarch himself did not take part in it. “We are more democratic, we will go ourselves,” Mr. Medvedev noted. “Who was the winner of that race?” - asked the Russian leader. Having learned that a Mercedes car was the first to reach the finish line, Mr. Medvedev stated: “Nothing changes.”
Before setting off, the heads of state inspected the cars of the rally participants. They were especially interested in the 1957 Rolls Royse, in whose cabin they even sat. After which Messrs. Medvedev and Yanukovych were invited to see the oldest car participating in the rally - the 1930 Rilayrrooklands racing car. “I may fit in, but Viktor Fedorovich is not sure,” Medvedev joked.
Having finished the inspection, the presidents went to their cars. Mr. Medvedev got behind the wheel of his own white 1948 Pobeda. As for the Ukrainian president, it was initially reported that he should drive a LuAZ. However, on the very day of the rally it turned out that the Ukrainian leader would also ride the Pobeda. True, Mr. Yanukovych's car was somewhat different from the one Mr. Medvedev had - it was a cream-cherry convertible, on which instead of a number there hung a sign with the inscription "Friendship".
While the convoy moved through Russian territory, it was led by Mr. Medvedev. After crossing the border, the “Victory” of the Ukrainian president drove forward. The final point of the presidential voyage was the city of Glukhov, whose residents greeted the rally participants with shouts: “Ukraine and Russia are together forever!”
The stay in Glukhov began with embarrassment. As it turned out, the Russian leader's jokes about Mr. Yanukovych's size turned out to be prophetic; it took the Ukrainian president a long time to get out of his car.
Nevertheless, both leaders had a pleasant impression of the rally. The same cannot be said about the quality of roads on both sides of the border. “There is still something to do. Roads need to be built, and not for the visits of presidents, but work regularly on a permanent basis,” said Mr. Medvedev.
“Today we will discuss how we can continue to be friends. And in order to be friends, you need to have normal communications. It's not just roads. This is also an opportunity to safely cross the border. No hassle. No rudeness. No problem. Especially when we are talking about such close, fraternal peoples as ours,” the Russian leader said.
After talking with the residents of Glukhovka and explaining to them that the trip on Pobeda symbolizes the victory of the Russian and Ukrainian peoples, Mr. Medvedev announced that he would take Mr. Yanukovych to Russia in the evening. “We will talk about the economy, the social sphere, and humanitarian cooperation. We will talk about how we can make the lives of our people calmer, more abundant, more normal,” the Russian president promised.
The leaders of the two countries began discussing these issues in Zavidovo, near Moscow. Mr. Yanukovych mentioned that the economies of Russia and Ukraine complement each other, and trade turnover between them increased by 70% in the first half of this year.
As an example of possible cooperation between Russia and Ukraine, Mr. Yanukovych cited projects related to the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the 2012 European Football Championship, which will take place in Ukraine and Poland. According to him, “there are a lot of infrastructure facilities here,” work on which could be carried out jointly.