Russian president Vladimir Putin was seen ‘looking down with his lips partially sucked in’ while Kim Jong-un appeared more confident as the two men met in Beijing
Vladimir Putin appeared ‘awkward’ as he met an ‘alpha’ Kim Jong-un at a bizarre meeting of dictators, a leading body language expert has told the Mirror.
The Russian president praised North Korea’s troops for fighting “courageously and heroically” in Ukraine as they appeared together at a brief summit after a huge military parade in Beijing today, where both men were distinguished guests of Xi Jinping. Kim – who has had around 2,000 of his troops die in combat since they were sent to the frontline last year – meanwhile told Putin it was his country’s “fraternal duty” to help Russia fight the war.
Earlier in the day, the duo had been seen smiling together alongside the Chinese premier on the red carpet – and even shared a car together on the way back from the event.
But according to body language analyst Judi James, Putin appeared to be the more awkward of the two men in their post-parade meeting, suggesting that he still may not enjoy the company of his North Korean counterpart despite their strategic alliance.
Kim Jong-un meanwhile seemed more comfortable in himself, she said, with his “alpha” stance showing he was happy to be seen alongside the Russian dictator.
He said: “Despite the ‘gang of three’ choreography of the three leaders Xi, Putin and Kim Jong-un during the military parade, when Putin and Jong-Un were feted together in an open top car and even made to share a car after the event, there are little if any signs of like-minded synchronicity in the body language of the two men in this photo.
“Their pose lacks any mirroring here and the genial chatting and even chuckling seems to have stopped. Putin’s body language makes him look awkward, sitting to the side of his chair with his torso weight on the arm of the chair and his hands clasped and fingers meshed in a gesture that can normally imply a lack of desire to communicate socially.”
Further clues as to Putin’s state of mind can be seen in him “looking down with his lips partially sucked in”, which can be a gesture of “indecision or regret”.
She added: “Jong-Un’s pose is more alpha, with his legs and his arms open with no signal of any desire to self-protect here. His pose is also symmetric, suggesting a more direct, straightforward approach, while Putin’s is more complex.
“Jong-Un appears to look across at Putin here, giving a suggestion of curiosity, as though waiting for him to speak.”
South Korean intelligence services estimate that since October, North Korea has sent around 12,000 soldiers in support of Russian forces, with many of them used to fight off a Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kursk.
At least 2,000 of these are thought to have died. In return, Moscow has provided the isolated nation with food, financial assistance and Russian military technology, with more than a million barrels of oil supplied last year alone.