Posted on 09/02/2013 3:53:20 PM PDT by Libloather
President Obama will meet with several LGBT groups during his trip later this week to St. Petersburg, a move likely to ruffle Russian President Vladimir Putin after the recent passage of a series of anti-gay laws.
The president will meet with human rights activists Lev Ponomarev and Lyudmila Alexeyeva, legal aid NGO director Pavel Chikov, and Coming Out, a St. Petersburg-based LGBT organization, according to a report in BuzzFeed.
The decision to meet with the activists in not unprecedented — Obama also met with human rights leaders in 2009 — but comes amid a period of heightened tension with the Kremlin.
During his address on Syria from the Rose Garden on Saturday, Obama blasted the United Nations Security Council as "completely paralyzed and unwilling to hold [Syrian president Bashar] Assad accountable" — a clear swipe at Russia, which has threatened to block any resolution condemning the alleged sarin attack in the Damascus suburbs.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called Secretary of State John Kerry's presentation on the attack "absolutely unconvincing" in a press conference on Monday, according to the Associated Press. He said the U.S. intelligence report included "nothing specific there, no geographic coordinates, no names, no proof that the tests were carried out by the professionals."
And Putin indicated he may send a delegation of Russian lawmakers to lobby the U.S. Congress against any military action in Syria, the Interfax news agency reported.
The skirmish over Syria comes after a summer dominated by a tussle with Putin over Edward Snowden, the former defense contractor responsible for leaking details of top-secret National Security Agency surveillance programs. After more than a month in the Moscow airport, the Kremlin offered Snowden temporary asylum despite protests from the White House.
Russia has also contended with a growing movement to boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi over the new anti-gay laws, which threaten fines and imprisonment for those who stage gay pride rallies or events.
Earlier this summer, Obama said he did not "think it's appropriate to boycott the Olympics" — but said he hoped gay American athletes would win medals and change minds.
"One of the things I'm really looking forward to is maybe some gay and lesbian athletes bringing home the gold or silver or bronze, which I think would go a long way in rejecting the kind of attitudes that we're seeing there," he said.
Obama's being a street punk. It's like he decided that Putin showed him "disrespect" and Putin needs to be shown who the alpha dog is (so to speak). So, he's not only going to meet with gays while in Russia to promote world peace, he's announcing it ahead of time. Yup, Obama's bringing it right to Putin's home turf.
I don't know what Obama's point is. Doesn't he even realize that Putin's smarter than he is?
If I were Putin, I’d ban Obama from entering the country.
Agreed! This is WAY over the line for a president of this country.........
We're on the verge of a potential third world war in the middle east, with Russia and China siding with Syria and Obama's going to spit in the face of Putin over homosexual rights???????
WTF is going on here, God help this country.......
Putin should arrest him for inciting dissents and discontent. Hell, no one in the States has the balls to do it.
Support for homosexuality and global jihad. These are Barack Obama’s agendas in a nut shell. Everything he’s done globally and domestically supports that conclusion. What a piece of work.
Did we invite soviet leaders to meet with Alger Hiss?
The title of this thread would be more appropriate if it said...Obama to “meat” gay activists in Russia. Cuz you know he will.
Can’t you just imagine what Obama, the MSM and the left wing nuts would do if Putin came to the U.S. and met with Cruz and Lee about Obamacare or the Minutemen about boarder security?
Wonder if Obama is going to the Olympics just to push the envelope a little more.
Every time I think that guy has reached the pinnacle of embarrassment to us, he does some other screwy thing that’s even worse.
“a move likely to ruffle Russian President Vladimir Putin “
The understatement of the year.
Obama in Russia, defying and mocking the President of Russia — what a brilliant move (dripping w sarcasm!!!)
maybe he will get himself arrested
yeah baby!
Ding! We have a winner!
oh, I doubt this will “ruffle” Putin
LOL!
A stunt like this would have been like Krushchev coming to the US and meeting with the KKK
Putin probably has his own little collection of videos and audios of Barry and Reggie, Hillary and Huma, etc
maybe the world would enjoy them if Putin decides to share
Seriously, is this the relationship that barry wants with the leader of RUSSIA? Is this how the president of the USA is supposed to act when he is a guest in Russia?
Putin and barry- do we really need to ask who has bigger stones?
That's my President!
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