Putin's bizarre explanation for not standing within 70ft of Britain's ambassaor
Vladimir Putin has cited "sanitary reasons" for his refusal to stand within 70 feet of Britain's new ambassador to Moscow at a diplomatic ceremony.
Russian President Putin appeared to hold out an olive branch to Britain, as he called for "change for the better" in relations between Moscow and London. He spoke at a Kremlin ceremony accepting the diplomatic credentials of new ambassadors, including Britain's Nigel Casey. Despite his reportedly warmer-than-usual tone, Putin refused to talk to Casey or any of the new 21 envoys. He stood afar from them for so-called "sanitary reasons", despite being seen close to other people in recent days and weeks.
Putin alluded to the recent 80th anniversary of the Tehran Conference of the heads of the three allied states: the Soviet Union, the US and Britain - Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, "which laid the foundations of the modern system of international relations."
Mr Nigel Casey, British Ambassador to the Russian Federation since November 2023 (second from the right) gives credentials to Vladimir Putin on 4 December 2023 (Kremlin.ru/e2w)Putin told the envoys - including the new ambassadors of Germany and Australia: "Unfortunately, for sanitary reasons, we cannot talk more, socialise. I hope that better times will come, not only in politics but also in health care, and we will be able to do so. In any case, as a matter of routine, both myself, the Foreign Minister [Sergey Lavrov], and my assistant for international affairs [Yuri Ushakov] are always at your disposal." The ceremony in the gilded Alexander Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace resembled a pandemic event.
On arrival in Moscow, Casey bluntly told the Kremlin that "ending the human suffering" caused by Putin in Ukraine was Britain’s priority. Standing at his official residence with his back to the Kremlin, and speaking in Russian, he said: "Maintaining relations with the Russian government and the Russian people remains important to the UK, perhaps today more important than ever. Decisions taken by Russia matter not only for the UK but the whole world. Few of the issues, currently facing us, are more important than ending the human suffering caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine."
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Telegram channel General SVR claimed today that it was a Putin doppelgänger who greeted the ambassadors on arrival in Moscow. It said: "The backup accepted credentials from the newly arrived ambassadors of foreign states. The main reason for the double's 20-metre distance from the ambassadors is the deplorable state of the [body double’s] face. Several small lumps have appeared on ‘Putin’s’ cheekbones, which is why his face has acquired a lumpy appearance, and this problem can hardly be hidden with makeup. As of yesterday, the double was more different than ever from the real Putin."
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