10 April 2023 , 12:27
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Vladimir Putin was left hanging and "waiting for applause" that never materialised while hosting a room full of foreign dignitaries.
Last week the Kremlin held an awards ceremony for its new foreign ambassadors with Putin as the main speaker.
At the end of one of his trademark rambling sessions, he finished up and looked out on the silent crowd apparently waiting for applause.
The video went viral on social media, where commenters said "it's so embarrassing" and stated Putin will likely "install an automatic applause" to prevent it happening again.
At the same meeting, Putin refused to meet Moscow's new ambassadors of the United States and the European Union in person.
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Vladimir Putin refused to meet the ambassadors of the US and the EU (MIKHAEL KLIMENTYEV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)The 70-year-old snubbed the delegates due to "sanitary restrictions" and instead spoke from the other side of the gilded Alexander Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace - some 60 feet away.
The scene was reminiscent of his use of a long table.
Putin insists it was for coronavirus concerns despite the Russian leader meeting numerous people in recent weeks, which included a spontaneous visit to war-torn Mariupol in invaded Ukraine.
He addressed the delegates at a distance (VLADIMIR ASTAPKOVICH/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)It is reported that visitors must undergo two weeks of isolation before interacting with the Russian president.
Lynne Tracy, from the US, and Roland Galharague, representing the EU, were among 17 new envoys at the ceremony, as were the new ambassadors of NATO states Norway and Denmark.
During the ceremony in the Kremlin, the delegates accepted their credentials. Putin said: "We won’t be able to talk in person, but in the course of your work, I’m sure this opportunity will come up again and again."
He claimed to avoid meeting them due to "sanitary" issues (MIKHAEL KLIMENTYEV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Despite Tracy becoming the first ever American woman ambassador to Russia, Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, insisted that there would not be a separate ceremony for the feat.
Instead, he openly acknowledged that the relationship between the two countries is in "deep crisis".
Putin said: "Relations between Russia and the United States are in deep crisis.
"The use by the United States in its foreign policy of such tools as a support for the so-called 'colour revolutions', support in this regard for the coup d'état in Kyiv in 2014, ultimately led to today's Ukrainian crisis."
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