Why the big table in Moscow? Macron refused a Russian Covid test
There's socially distanced, and then there's French President Emmanuel Macron sitting on the opposite end of an enormous table during talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Monday.
There
is now insight as to why: The French leader declined the Kremlin's
request for a Russian Covid-19 test, the Elysee Palace said Thursday. On
Friday, an Elysee spokesperson refused to comment on media reports that
Macron did not want Russian doctors getting their hands on his DNA.
The
two men spent more than five hours sitting at the table -- estimated to
be up to 20 feet (six meters) long -- for head-to-head talks on how to
diffuse a potential conflict in Ukraine.
Macron was seeking to stop the massive Russian military buildup
of more than 100,000 soldiers from turning into war and to assuage
Russia's security grievances, which include demands that Ukraine and
Georgia be blocked from ever becoming members of NATO and for the alliance to draw down troops in Eastern Europe.
But
the table itself drew significant attention, with its length shocking
many observers and triggering a wave of internet memes.
On
Friday, an Elysee spokesperson explained the French side "judged that
the conditions that allowed for a shorter distance [between the
presidents during their talks] were not acceptable to us and we chose
the other option proposed by the Russian [Covid-19] protocol. That is
all."
"The
president has of course always done what he has to do when he travels,"
the spokesperson said. "The question is just based on the test
conditions."
As to the Reuters report
about Macron not wanting Russia to have access to his DNA, the
spokesperson said it "did not merit launching into particular
fantasies."
While
refusing to provide details of the test conditions, the spokesperson
said there were concerns about who would do the test, how the tests
would be taken and their timings.
"The
president has doctors who define with him the rules that are acceptable
or not in terms of the health protocols relating to him. Period," the
Elysee spokesperson added.
The
conditions that would have allowed a meeting with less distance imposed
a Russian health protocol which "seemed neither acceptable nor
compatible with our agenda constraints," the Elysee Palace said on
Thursday.
The
Kremlin confirmed that the French side was unwilling to comply with the
Kremlin Covid-19 testing protocol that would have led to a more
intimate setting.
Asked
if Macron decided not to take a PCR test administered by Russian
doctors, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday: "Yes,
indeed."
"In
some situations, Putin meets with his guests sitting very close by one
another, they shake hands," he said. "With others, negotiations are held
at a table, at a distance of approximately six meters."
Peskov
added: "This is due to the fact that some leaders follow their own
rules and they do not interact with the host side in sharing tests. We
treat this with understanding, this is a normal global practice but, in
this case, there is a protocol of additional measures to protect the
health of our president and our guests as well. A larger distance is
applied.
The meeting ended with the Kremlin pouring cold water on
reports that the two leaders had agreed to de-escalate the tense
standoff on Ukraine's border, where tens of thousands of Russian forces
have massed in recent months, drawing warnings from Western officials of
an impending invasion.
As
Putin tests the West's resolve, Macron has thrust himself to center
stage, taking former German Chancellor Angela Merkel's place as leading
mediator for Europe as he readies himself for a reelection bid at home.
Currently at the helm of the European Union's rotating presidency,
Macron has spoken several times per week with Putin, and placed his
third phone call in a week to US President Joe Biden on Sunday evening.
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