Vladimir Putin

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Theophilos III (left), patriarch of Jerusalem, welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Tuesday, June 26, 2012. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Alexei Druzhinin, Presidential Press Service)

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Israeli President Shimon Peres (center) leave after the inauguration ceremony of a memorial to Red Army veterans of World War II in Netanya, Israel, on Monday June 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Jack Guez, Pool)

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** FILE ** President Obama meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit in Los Cabos, Mexico. (Associated Press)

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President Obama holds out his hand to shake Russian President Vladimir Putin's during a bilateral meeting at the G-20 summit on Monday, June 18, 2012, in Los Cabos, Mexico. (Associated Press)

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Protesters chant slogans against the Syrian regime and Russia's support of President Bashar Assad as they burn a banner Sunday depicting Mr. Assad, his brother, Maher Assad, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the port city of Sidon, Lebanon. (Associated Press)

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President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Monday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 economic gathering in Mexico. Mr. Obama needs Russia to help, or at least not hurt, U.S. foreign policy aims in the Middle East and Afghanistan. It will be the leaders' first meeting since Mr. Putin returned to Russia's top job. (Associated Press)

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A woman holds a caricature depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin during an opposition rally in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Tuesday. The rally came a day after policed raided the homes of protest leaders. Opposition figures likened the raids to the repression of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. (Associated Press)