The image of Russia’s presidential plane, with Vladimir Putin onboard, soaring into American airspace today was undeniably dramatic. It calls to mind a story shared with me by a U.S. Air Force veteran, a man with first-hand experience from the heights of the Cold War.
More than once, he recalled, a particular Soviet fighter pilot would intentionally stray into U.S. airspace off the coast of Alaska. Each time American jets would thunder skyward to intercept the intruder. But rather than turning back, the Soviet pilot would land at a nearby U.S. air base. Perhaps it’s even the same place where Putin and President Trump are meeting today.
So what was the Soviet pilot’s true mission? Commerce, not espionage. He came seeking American cigarettes at the air base’s post exchange. On occasion, a bottle of Russian vodka may have sweetened the deal.
We’ll see what Putin walks away with today.