As Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived at the Versailles Palace on Monday to meet Emmanuel Macron, the recently elected leader of France, all eyes were on the handshake.
Macron had surprised the world last week with his white-knuckle grasp of President Donald Trump's hand when the pair met for the first time. Trump had already gained notoriety for his handshake, a vigorous tug that has caught some world leaders off guard.
The French president, however, came prepared.
Though Trump leaned in first, he tried to release his hand from the lengthy shake, twice, while Macron kept squeezing. Speaking to Le Journal du Dimanche this weekend, Macron explained that "my handshake with him, it wasn't innocent," later adding: "One must show that you won't make small concessions, even symbolic ones, but also not over-publicize things, either."
Outside the Versailles Palace, reporters waited eagerly for a potentially tense Franco-Russian handshake. As Putin stepped out of his car, many people pulled out their cameras to capture the greeting between the two leaders.
But anyone expecting fireworks would probably have been disappointed: Macron and Putin shook hands amiably for seven seconds before heading inside.
Other videos show that inside the palace, the pair shook hands again — for about six seconds.
Washington Post
