Awkward Video Footage Shows Vladimir Putin Fidgeting During A Seemingly Endless Wait To Greet The Turkish President

Vladimir Putin is practically a global pariah at this point due to his war on Ukraine. That dismal conflict is being met with incredible loss of life, all while his troops are rebelling and even nearly blowing up their general. For his part, Putin carries clear contempt for the will of Ukranians while lashing out at world leaders to defend his shirtless horseback riding photos from their jokes. Economic turmoil abounds while Russians can’t even enjoy McDonald’s anymore. That’s a trivial detail, but overall, it’s not great.

Putin still has a few allies, including China and the Taliban, and this week, he also flew to Iran for a meeting about conflict in Syria. And while he was waiting for a scheduled, on-camera meet-and-greet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, one got a glimpse of exactly how little respect Putin’s drawing these days from other world leaders.

As this video from The National correspondent Joyce Karam shows, Putin was left standing there, very uncomfortable and fidgety, while Ergodan kept him waiting for nearly a minute (and it feels like forever). Putin’s face says a lot here.

As Business Insider notes, the video footage sources from Turkish state media outlet Anadolu, and there’s also plenty that’s communicated by the cameraperson’s decision to pan in on Putin’s expression. What we didn’t see here, though, is a real loss: Putin’s poop-scooping attendant is nowhere to be seen. (Perhaps that business got attended to earlier in the day? There’s no telling.)

(Via Business Insider & The National)