President Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron had talks in Russia to de-escalate the tension at the Ukraine border, but nothing came out of the discussions, which became a mind game.
The image of the two sitting far apart on a large table is one of the visuals that say the Kremlin won't be easily swayed in its course.
Even threats by Joe Biden are ignored by the Russian leader, who has shown better handling and statesmanship.
Russia, France Meet in Moscow
Seen in the meeting is the latest move by Putin in dealing with an EU leader wanting a dialogue to push back war, the Express reported.
Last Monday, the snap meeting between the two leaders held in Moscow took five long hours. This was the first conference with a Western leader when the Kremlin amassed troops at the Ukraine border.
It was remarked as substantive, and the French leader called the following days as critical.
An image taken of the meeting between the two heads of state; spoke volumes about how the discussion had turned out.
The two leaders on opposite ends of a particularly long table used for the occasion were seen in the photo. Many comments on social media expressed doubt about how an agreement could be reached with the setup.
According to Andrew Adonis, a labor peer, it's Putin's mental games played on Macron, adding that even Adolf Hitler never used a table like that.
On Twitter, one user bemusedly commented that it is social distancing to the maximum.
Another user posted how the transcript of the conversation will be. Adding it will be full of what and sorry, just total confusion that would be no wonder nothing happened.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron seemed to be out of synch, and that long table made an impact, cited The NY Times Post.
One more observation is that it's like the movie of Eddie Murph 'Coming to America'; the character Akeem would need an intercom to speak to his parents. This scene was compared to Putin and Macron by a user's sarcasm, asking if the two needed an intercom too.
More reactions on social media saying it was a failure at negotiating with the Kremlin leader is simple; he wanted to give Macron a piece of his mind.
Vladimir Putin Won't Back Down
Reuters mentioned the Russian and French president had a meal of reindeer, sweet potatoes, with blackberries for diner at the summit.
After the talks were held, Putin remarked that some ideas and proposals were too early to deal with. It could be the basis of the next steps to be taken, noted the Hot World Report.
The next time they meet will be Ukrainian leaders coming soon, but no idea how the table will be arranged for it.
A rundown is that Russian annexed Crimea in 2014; separatists are supported like Donetsk and Donbas in eastern Ukraine. The Kremlin still deploys 100,00 troops at the border.
Putin's demands have not changed, like not allowing Kyiv to be part of NATO if Crimea is attacked by Kyiv. He said Moscow would not back down from provocation, and there would be war with no winners.
Asked the Ukrainian government to respect the Minsk agreements to end the war in the separatist state with Russian communities in Donbas. The prevalent view is that the Kremlin has control over France and other EU countries are in disarray.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron's meeting at the Kremlin was not as successful attempts by France to mend differences do not help. Still, NATO countries are posturing that will not work.