Vladimir Putin relishes an earthy turn of phrase. When talking of Russia’s response to Georgia’s attack on South Ossetia, the Russian prime minister asks: “Should we have wiped the bloody snot off and bowed our heads again this time?”

Dmitry Medvedev, an ex-lawyer, is more refined. The Russian president is happy to be called a liberal and says that he enjoyed his time last year at the World Economic Forum in Davos.