Robert Amsterdam

Well, this is interesting, no? From Kommersant:

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, when asked at a press conference about the fact that the OSCE declared the parliamentary elections in Russia undemocratic, stated that it was “completely ridiculous” to Russian President Vladimir Putin should not reproached for the United Russia Party's victory at the polls. “He cane be reproached for human rights and Chechnya,” the French president added.

Sarkozy said that he cannot reproach a person and then call on him to participate in the solution of world crises. He mentioned Putin's role in settling the Iranian nuclear problem.

Sarkozy made an official visit to Russia as head of state in October of last year and expressed a desire to Putin to understand Russia better. The Russian president responded with a quotation from the poet Tyutchev: “Russia cannot be understood with the mind, nor its land measured by the acre. It is a special case. You can only believe in Russia.”