At an economic forum in St. Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin was asked about the Super Bowl ring that Patriots owner Robert Kraft said that Putin took from him, before saying he was joking, and that the Kremlin says Kraft gave him as a gift in 2005.
Putin says he does not remember meeting Kraft and remembers nothing about a ring, but he made an offer to try to assuage any hurt feelings all the same. Putin proposed having another ring made for Kraft on Putin’s dime if that will make Kraft feel better.
“If it is such a big treasure for Mr. Kraft and the team ... I have a suggestion,” Putin said, via Tom Curran of CSN New England. “I will ask a jewelry firm to make a really good and big thing, so everyone will see it is a luxury piece, made of quality metal and with a stone, so this piece will be passed from generation to generation in the team whose interests are represented by Mr. Kraft. This would be the smartest solution partners can ever achieve while tackling such a complicated international problem.”
We’re all for avoiding international incidents, even if we’re fairly sure that Putin delivered that last line with more than a little sarcasm in his voice. The Russian leader also has to like that he’d hold onto the upper hand even after getting Kraft a new ring by going the complete lack of recollection route about something that obviously has stuck with the Patriots owner through the years.