“Two sources” in French President Emmanuel Macron’s “entourage,” cited by Reuters, have claimed that the reason behind the extra-long table that was used during the French leader’s meeting, on Monday, with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin was the former’s refusal to take a Russian Covid-19 test.
The sources told the agency on Thursday that Macron was required to be socially distanced from Putin after he declined the health and safety protocol.
An extremely long Kremlin table, which seated Macron on one end and Putin on the other, became one of the most talked about moments of the encounter, with many observers questioning why the two leaders were placed so far apart.
While some commentators suggested the arrangement was a political statement, it is now being claimed that the set-up was a consequence of Macron’s reluctance to be tested by Russian doctors.
“We knew very well that meant no handshake and that long table,” said one source to Reuters. “But we could not accept that they get their hands on the president’s DNA.”
During their nearly six-hour meeting, Macron and Putin discussed the crisis in Ukraine and Macron claimed to have received Putin’s guarantee that the situation would not escalate.