Sarkozy 'soothed' Putin's rage By Ben Hall in Paris and Quentin Peel in London Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, wanted to depose Mikheil Saakashvili, the Georgian leader, and hang him "by the balls" following Russia's invasion of Georgia in August but was deterred by Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president.
That is the version of events related by Jean-David Levitte, Mr Sarkozy's chief foreign policy adviser, to a French magazine yesterday, an account that helps the French leader's claim that he averted a Russian military dash to occupy Tbilisi, the Georgian capital.
According to Mr Levitte, when Mr Sarkozy flew to Moscow on August 12 for emergency talks with Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, and Mr Putin a few days after the conflict began, Mr Putin told him: "I want to hang Saakashvili by the balls."
"Hang him?" a startled Mr Sarkozy interjected.
"Why not," Mr Putin replied. "The Americans hanged Saddam Hussein."
"But do you want to end up like [George W.] Bush?" Mr Sarkozy asked.
Mr Putin apparently paused, and said: "Ah, there you have a point."
Mr Levitte told Le Nouvel Observateur that this exchange helped to persuade Mr Putin to refrain from a full invasion of Georgia.
Other accounts of the meeting say the French president was appalled at Mr Putin's use of foul language in talking of Georgia and Mr Saakashvili, and threatened to walk out of the lunch and return to Paris if he did not calm down. Mr Putin then moderated his language.
Mr Sarkozy, who as holder of the European Union's rotating presidency led western efforts this summer to secure a ceasefire in the Georgia conflict, has been accused of ceding too much ground to the Kremlin.