Putin’s schedule keeps faith leaders at bay

Vladimir Putin prefers to keep his distance from guests. Now he sat at a new table – far away from the people he was talking to.

The last time Chancellor Olaf Scholz met the Russian president in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin kept him at a distance. About six meters separated the German head of government and the Russian ruler at an oval table. There was speculation as to whether it would be health care, military or both.

Now a new table has appeared where Putin receives guests. The shape has changed, the new furniture is rectangular – but still bigger. The dictator still does not want to approach his guests. At a reception for 13 religious leaders in the Kremlin’s St. Catherine’s Hall, he sat in the middle of the long side; The guests, including the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, had to go together to the other side. In between is a vast void that Ukrainian government adviser Anton Zerashchenko jokingly referred to as a pond.

The distance was so great that Putin had to use a microphone. On the internet site Reddit, users mocked it: One commenter wrote that the table would be great for driving sushi bites. Another joked that it was a “rectangle of hope.” “This looks like a scene from a superhero/supervillain movie,” wrote another.

On the X platform, users shared pictures of the table being turned into a swimming pool, while others placed a rubber duck in the middle. “There should be a mini pond with an alligator in the middle,” wrote one. Another user said: “Everyone else sat as far away from the table as possible as he worked really hard.”