Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued an invitation to the Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg. At the two-day meeting, the 17 states present will discuss economic cooperation, health, energy and food, among other topics. This is reported by Deutschlandfunk.
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In the course of the summit, Putin also met with Egyptian President Abd al-Fattah as-Sisi. However, it is said to have taken a little time before the two men finally shook hands.
New video causes ridicule online
Indeed, as Focus Online and news.de magazines report, the Egyptian president is said to have kept Vladimir Putin waiting. A video currently going viral on Twitter allegedly shows the Russian president pacing impatiently while waiting for his counterpart.
Meanwhile, the video is causing a lot of ridicule on the web. One user even talks about how 'humiliating' this video must be for Putin, while many others are surprised that the recording of the situation was approved at all.
Putin had to wait for quite some time for the president of Egypt.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) July 27, 2023
This is not the first time that foreign leaders have made Putin wait for their meetings. pic.twitter.com/WSaO1UWayN
Read more:Vladimir Putin: South African President warns against arresting the leader if visits the country
New speculation about body doubles
In the caption to the video, which was posted by Ukrainian MP Anton Gerashchenko, he also points out that it was allegedly not the first time that Putin had been kept waiting.
First and foremost, however, the footage has sparked comments about whether the Russian president might have been represented by a body double. One user suspects that Putin may have been kept waiting because it was only a double.
The body double conspiracy theory has been very popular since Putin declared war on Ukraine. Whether the theories have any truth have yet to be seen.
They probably knew it was one of his doubles. Putin is still hiding in a bunker.
— Andrew Mills (@wallymills34) July 27, 2023
Read more:Vladimir Putin is being mocked for his 'clumsy' fashion choices and 'awkward' handshakes
This article has been translated from Gentside DE.
Sources used:
news.com: "Vladimir Putin: Twitter mockery after public humiliation by Egypt's president".
Focus Online: "At Russia-Africa summit: Egypt's president keeps Putin waiting"
Deutschlandfunk: "Russia-Africa Summit: Many African Heads of State and Government Stay Away"
