The reported reason why that table between Macron and Putin was so long

Putin and Macron
(Image credit: Sputnik/AFP/Getty Images)

If you were among those laughing at the size of the table situated between French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, (1) we do not blame you, and (2) turns out, that comically-massive table may have actually been ... a COVID precaution.

Two sources with knowledge of Macron's health protocol told Reuters that Macron refused a COVID test from Russian authorities for fear of giving Moscow his DNA, Reuters reports Thursday. The French president had reportedly been warned that no Russian test meant "more stringent social distancing," per Reuters.

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.