Bob Costas: Vladimir Putin turned down NBC interview for Sochi Olympics
https://awfulannouncing.com/nbc/bob-costas-sochi-olympics-vladimir-putin-interview.html
"Putin turned that down flatly."
Why wouldn't Putin refuse an interview? Most likely he wanted to keep politics out of it.
It was the Olympics held in Russia, which the US has politicized for decades. Rightly or wrongly a big interview at the time.
If Putin said the wrong thing, or practically whatever he said the US could pull the plug and leave Russia hold the bag.
Bob Costas is a moron and contributing to the problem/propganda/Putin-pile-on.