Putin showdown could get tense without single word spoken due to Trump's signature gesture

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump are set to meet in a highly anticipated summit in Alaska today (15 August).

Trump confirmed the meeting with the Russian leader last week, claiming that they may need to 'redraw borders' to achieve peace with the war in Ukraine.

The US leader recently told reporters he would present Putin with an offer that would simply be too good to refuse when the pair meet. Either that, or he would impose 'very severe consequences' on Russia as a result, which is thought to be economy or tariff-related.

The 79-year-old is so confident, in fact, that he thinks that he could have a 'quick second meeting' with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

While Trump continues to share with the media, there's something he could do in his meeting with Putin which would make the meeting tense.

Trump's handshakes can last up to 20 seconds, if he wants (Kremlin Press Office / Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

The 47th US President has met numerous world leaders during his first and second terms in office, and he has been caught doing the same thing when meeting each of them.

Essentially, the President looks to almost 'pull' the person towards him while shaking hands, to establish that he is above them from the get-go.

Some have labelled it as 'uncomfortable', but not all political figures fall for it, as German Chancellor Merz successfully stood firm and countered Trump's usual charm offensive. But this hasn't stopped the President, who once shook Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's hand for 19 seconds straight during a meeting in 2017.

But this isn't all, though, as Trump was seen literally shoving the Prime Minister of Montenegro out of the way to be at the front of a group photo.

Because it appears to be Trump's 'trademark move', everyone will have their eyes on his first interaction with Putin later today, and how the Russian President might respond.

It may all be mind games, but many world leaders in history have displayed certain behaviours to stay at the top of the food chain, as international relations professor Jonathan Renshon from the University of Wisconsin-Madison believes that the odd handshakes represent a behaviour that has been around for years.

All eyes will be on the pair's first handshake (Kremlin Press Office / Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

He told Vox that people who care so deeply for their status are usually willing to 'fight' to establish dominance.

"Where a person is stationed in a photograph ... is connected to notions of who’s in charge, who people defer to." he said. "And there’s lots of evidence this stuff matters on an interpersonal, and now on a state, level."

Professor of psychology in New York, Dr Claudia Diez, also echoed a similar sentiment when analysing the psychology behind Trump's handshake, as she told The Daily Mail: "The predator signals he is in control by determining distance of the arm (bring in, push forward) and length of the shake, which the pray cannot consent nor exert control off."