Clinton had told an international conference in Lithuania after the Russian election that “the Russian people, like people everywhere, deserve the right to have their voices heard and their votes counted, and that means they deserve fair, free, transparent elections and leaders who are accountable to them.” Her remarks infuriated Putin, who never forgot Clinton’s “interference” in Russia’s elections. One indication of just how hostile Putin had become to the United States was his turndown of Obama’s invitation to the May 18–19, 2012, G8 meeting at Camp David.
