George Stephanopoulos Lands Coveted Vladimir Putin Interview

ABC News' George Stephanopoulos has landed an interview with Russian president Vladimir Putin in the runup to the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

The "Good Morning America" and "This Week" host traveled to Sochi for the interview. On Friday's "Good Morning America," his co-host Robin Roberts made sure to note that he was the "first American TV journalist" to talk to Putin before the Olympics. ABC's foreign editor Jon Williams tweeted this photo showing Putin with Stephanopoulos:

Beyond being a good scoop, Stephanopoulos's interview is sure to rankle the people at NBC, which is televising the Olympics and which has openly said it is seeking to sit down with Putin. Last week, the network's main Olympics host Bob Costas told reporters that his goal was for Putin to "drag his butt in the studio" so he could be grilled on Russia's controversial anti-gay laws and the security situation in Sochi.

"If he shows up, we’d rather talk to him," Costas added. "Wouldn’t you rather hear it from the horse’s mouth? I would."