Mrs. Putin Stands Up to Her Workaholic

The wife of President Vladimir V. Putin made a public debut of sorts with a greeting to underprivileged Russian children and a newspaper interview in which she said she sometimes argues with her husband.

Ludmila Putin says she does not hesitate to discuss problems “as a wife” with her husband of 18 years.

“Although this is admittedly difficult: The president devotes practically all his time to work,” she told the daily newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda. “But when we touch on some problem, I talk about my attitude to it, and I even argue sometimes.”