Putin’s recent visit to Beijing for the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRI) has sparked fresh rumours about his health as observers suspect he is using a body double.
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However, this is not the only embarrassing thing that came out of Putin’s second visit abroad since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him earlier this year.
As Putin prepared to start his speech, top European delegates got up and walked out - leaving him presenting to a depleted audience. The Russian President’s trip was supposed to demonstrate and consolidate relations between Russia and China, so Putin was massively embarrassed to be publicly humiliated in front of Chinese leader Xi JinPing.
Which delegates humiliated Putin?
The Belt and Road conference is a multibillion-dollar infrastructure project, launched by China to increase the country’s global standing through international collaboration over roads, trains and ports. 130 representatives from countries around the world travelled to Beijing for this conference, which was held in the Hall of People in Beijing.
Yet, when Putin spoke, there were a few less people around to hear what he had to say. Among those who didn’t stay to listen to the Russian President - who regularly threatens the West - were former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and the French and Italian ambassadors to China.
However, no reports suggest that the Hungarian leader Viktor Orban left the hall, and he was later pictured shaking hands with him. Orban has said that a later meeting held between him and Putin was a a bid to 'save everything that is possible from our bilateral contacts' and stated that Hungary 'never wanted to confront Russia'.
The delegates who left reportedly came back in after Putin had finished talking, making the reason for their disappearance crystal clear.
What Putin said in his speech
Xi JinPing opened the conference and shared the stage with Putin, who was surrounded by security for the whole trip. The delegates left after Xi’s speech, and to the remaining audience, Putin spoke about the close bond between Russia and China. He called Xi Jinping a ‘dear friend’ and stated:
Russia and China, like most countries of the world, share the desire for equal, mutually beneficial cooperation in order to achieve universal sustainable and long-term economic progress and social well-being, while respecting the diversity of civilization and the right of each State to its own development model.
He praised Xi for his success in BRI projects:
When we start something big, we expect that it will be successful. But understanding the global scale, it is hard to expect everything will be well. But our Chinese friends did it.
Despite the humiliation of the walk-out, Putin delivered a speech that strived to paint close relationships between Russia and China as beneficial for both parties. However, it’s clear that he was not willing to come across as desperate or defenseless.
During the trip, he was flanked by two Russian naval officers who were carrying the ‘nuclear briefcases’ known as Cheget. Terrifyingly, these devices can transmit nuclear attack orders to the central military command. With recent threats of nuclear testing emerging from Russia, this is very worrying to see - even if it is just an intimidation tactic.
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Sources used:
The Independent: European delegates walk out of China-led international summit as Vladimir Putin starts speaking
Express: Putin embarrassed as European leaders storm out of event before speech in front of Xi
