Recep Tayyip Erdoğan snubs Vladimir Putin ahead of Tehran talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin was left hanging by his Turkish counterpart Tuesday ahead of talks in the Iranian capital of Tehran.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was nearly a minute late to a planned photo op with the Russian president, leaving the ex-spy to twist and fidget before the cameras.
In video released by the Turkish press. Putin can be seen standing, hands clasped in front of him, shifting his weight from side to side as camera shutters buzz out of sight.
Putin keeps his gaze fixed off-camera, looking annoyed, lips pursed
“Hello, how are you,” Erdoğan said when he finally arrives, “good?”
The two leaders then shook hands.
It was the first meeting between Putin and a NATO leader since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February.
Observers likened the apparent power play to similar provocations by Putin.
Turkish media compared the cold shoulder to a 2020 slight in Moscow, when Putin left Erdoğan to wither in front of the press for nearly two minutes.
The leaders were in Iran to discuss a possible deal to reopen the grain trade from Ukrainian Black Sea ports. It was Putin’s first trip out of Russia since the war began.
With Post wires
