World Leaders Mock Shirtless Vladimir Putin During Gathering In Germany
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World leaders have openly mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G7 summit over his bizarre penchant for a semi-naked photo-op.
You know the photos we mean. The ones where Putin is always shirtless for some unknown reason.
The Group of Seven gathered in Germany's Bavarian Alps to discuss multilateral issues and responses to global problems like the invasion of Ukraine.
But it didn’t take long for talks to veer off course.
It was UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson who pointed out the elephant in the room: the perpetually volatile Russian leader.
Despite Putin’s recent threats to attack the West and the Ukrainian invasion, it was his clothing choices that were the main talking point.
Johnson and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a bit of back-and-forth about the very intense (and very much not present) Russian leader.
"Jackets on? Jackets off? Shall we take our clothes off?" the UK PM asked jokingly, as per Reuters.
Johnson then referenced Putin's classic topless shots.
"We all have to show that we’re tougher than Putin," he said.
Canadian leader Justin Trudeau joked about the group going for a horse ride.
"We’re going to get the bare-chested horseback riding display," he said.
The UK PM then quipped: "We’ve got to show them our pecs."
In case you have somehow never seen these shots of Putin, the Russian leader likes to circulate shirtless photos of himself doing fun activities.
Like karate. Or fishing. Or arm wrestling. Or in 2018, when he even sunbaked in the snow at a Siberian lake.
When asked about the odd photos by a reporter from the ABC, Putin replied: "When I am on vacation I see no need to hide behind the bushes, and there is nothing wrong with that".
Alrighty then. Looks like we're going to have to suppress that mental image down into oblivion.
Putin, of course, was not at the G7 summit after being booted from the group of world leaders back in 2014 over the Crimea annexation.
Reuters reports G7 leaders will deliberate further action against Moscow following February's invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian invasion has attracted global scorn, with law firm Ashurst reporting that sanctions against Putin, his cronies, and his nation are currently imposed by the US, EU, UK, Canada, Australia.
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information.
Featured Image Credit: PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo. Kremlin Pool / Alamy Stock Photo
Topics: News, Russia, Vladimir Putin, World News, Weird, Politics
