The two world leaders gripped one another in a firm handshake and beamed after they met in Anchorage, Alaska, but more subtle signs showed the depth of their mutual admiration
Donald Trump betrayed his inherent admiration for despot Vladimir Putin in their initial greeting ahead of today’s Ukraine talks, an expert has said.
Putin, 72, arrived in Anchorage, Alaska, this evening, to the warmest reception from a western leader since before his brutal invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He was escorted by his US counterpart in a literal red carpet greeting off his plane in the state capital, and then bundled into the official Presidential limousine, still beaming after what lipreaders have said was a convivial initial exchange.
Despite all the public bravado, one expert said he has uncovered a hidden sign giving an even deeper insight into the respect Mr Trump has for Putin.
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Speaking to The Mirror, body language expert Darren Stanton said the two could be seen “matching and mirroring” after they stepped up to the podium for their first official pictures. The act, Mr Stanton said, betrayed “mutual trust and respect” between the two men, who could be seen apparently mimicking one another.
He said: “When people are in rapport with each other and have that mutual trust and respect, they match and mirror each other’s posture.
“So when they were stood on the podium posing for photos, they were matching mirroring each other’s posture. No one man was incongruent, as we say in psychology, with the other’s postures.” Mr Stanton concluded from the interaction that the two men were “willing to engage”.
The expert concluded: “I think overall at the moment, the optics are that both men have got respect for each other and are willing to engage.”
Mr Trump is a career admirer of Putin and other strongmen leaders, a fact that was especially notable when he spoke to the media in the immediate aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He had high praise for the despot during a radio interview on ‘The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show’ in which he declared him a “genius”.
Speaking about watching the news unfold on television, he said Putin’s justification for the invasion – being that he was “liberating” and making independent Russian-leaning portions of the country – was “wonderful”.
He said: “I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine — Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful. He used the word ‘independent’ and ‘we’re gonna go out and we’re gonna go in and we’re gonna help keep peace.’ You gotta say that’s pretty savvy.”