Russian President Vladimir Putin momentarily left President Trump hanging Friday, when the men sat down for their first-ever face-to-face meeting. As Trump extended his hand to shake Putin's, Putin appeared to sit there for a second before reacting to Trump's outstretched arm, expertly creating a perfect photo op of an eager Trump reaching out to an indifferent Putin.
Russian media quickly circulated the image:
Human Rights Foundation Chairman Garry Kasparov noted that Putin pulled comparable ploys when shaking former President Barack Obama's hand, notably at the U.N. General Assembly in 2015:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Looks like Trump isn't the only one with a signature handshake.