Related Clues:

• Reply put in by Putin?
• Denial from Putin
• French turndown
• Start for starter
• Standard introduction?
• Persona -- grata
• Boris' refusal
• Security Council veto
• Negative, somewhere
• Alternative to smoking
• Normandy negative
• Thumbs down, in the Kremlin
• Putin's put-down?
• Duma demurral
• Nice turndown