Thumbs up! Putin shakes hands and chats with Trump and Melania during WWI ceremony in Paris

RT
Sun, 11 Nov 2018 15:38 UTC

© Reuters / Ludovic Marin

Russian President Vladimir Putin talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Donald Trump as they attend a commemoration ceremony for Armistice Day in Paris, France, November 11, 2018.

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump greeted one another during the World War I centenary commemorations in Paris, with the two leaders seen shaking hands and making other warm gestures during the event.

Although both leaders were late to the ceremony, they appeared to be happy to see each other upon their arrival. Putin and Trump were seen nodding at each other, with the Russian leader even tapping his US counterpart on the shoulder and offering up a thumbs up sign.

Putin also greeted the US First Lady Melania Trump with a warm handshake.

© Reuters / Ludovic Marin

© Reuters / Francois Mori

Dozens of world leaders have come to France to participate in commemorative events marking the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI.

With the US continuing to aggressively target Russia with sanctions, encounters between the two leaders have become headline-grabbing news. Adding to this is the so-called 'Russiagate' probe that was launched in May 2017 to investigate Trump's alleged Kremlin ties - an idea pushed by the Democratic Party - which has yet to produce any evidence. In July, Trump and Putin held a summit in Helsinki, Finland, causing much controversy in the US.

© Reuters / Jacques Demarthon

(L) Vladimir Putin and (R) Donald Trump at the November 11 lunch in Paris.

A last-minute seating change did not prevent Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump from exchanging words at the Elysee Palace lunch, the Russian president told reporters. The French hosts earlier objected to their meeting in Paris.

When asked by Russian news agencies if he had a chance to talk to Trump, Putin responded "Yes," adding that the chat was "good."

This is despite Putin's spokesman saying earlier that the presidents didn't have time to talk at the table and then said their goodbyes when leaving the Elysee Palace lunch, the final gathering event for the world leaders who arrived to mark the WWI commemoration in Paris.

Notably, the French side was "very insistent" that Putin and Trump not meet, Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian TV. An earlier report claimed that French President Emmanuel Macron personally asked the two to not hold a Helsinki-like summit in Paris, worried that a Trump-Putin meeting could steal the limelight from the solemn event he hosted.

© Reuters/ Jacques Demarthon

French President Emmanuel Macron is flanked by U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as he delivers a speech before a lunch at the Elysee Palace, Paris, France, November 11, 2018.

The two leaders had still said they hoped to meet at the "working lunch" in Elysee, and the preliminary seating showed Trump placed next to Putin, getting media briefly pumped up - before the seating plan was apparently changed to place them opposite to one another across the table. Putin was then preoccupied talking to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, with EU's Jean-Claude Juncker sitting to Putin's right, while Trump was pictured next to Macron, who in turn had Germany's Angela Merkel to his right.

Comment: Also read: 'Strengthen the multipolar world': Putin positive on Macron's 'European army' plan bashed by Trump