“Two sources” in the “entourage” of French President Emmanuel Macron,
explained the reasoning behind the extra-long table (XL) used during the
meeting of Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The source told Reuters that the reason for using the table was that Macron
refused to take the Covid-19 test by the Russian medical team.
The source told Reuters on Thursday (10/2/2022) that Macron was required to
keep his distance from Putin after Macron rejected health and safety
protocols.
One very long Kremlin table, with Macron at one end and Putin at the other,
is one of the most talked about meeting moments.
Many observers have questioned why the two leaders were placed so far apart
when they had to discuss so many pressing issues.
While some observers viewed the seating arrangement as a political
statement, it is now being claimed that the arrangement was a consequence of
Macron's reluctance to be tested for Covid by Russian doctors.
"We know very well that means no handshakes and those long tables," one of
the sources told Reuters.
"But we can't accept that they got the president's DNA," the source said.
During their nearly six-hour meeting, Macron and Putin discussed the crisis
in Ukraine.
After the meeting, Macron claimed to have received Putin's assurances that
the situation would not escalate.
However, Russia said it had never provided such a guarantee.