The Presidents of the United States of America, Donald Trump, and the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, met on Friday in Alaska, where their greeting was accompanied by body language that attracted the attention of international media.
According to Reuters, the two leaders shook hands and touched each other on the arm, in a visible show of closeness, giving the impression of an early friendship. Putin, who arrived on American soil at Trump's invitation despite being considered a war criminal in many countries over the war in Ukraine, wore a nearly full smile during the meeting.
The Russian president is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes related to the deportation of hundreds of children from Ukraine. Russia denies the charges and, not being a signatory to the ICC's founding treaty, the Kremlin has dismissed the arrest warrant as invalid.
Donald Trump has long spoken publicly about his friendly relationship with Putin. Although he has recently warned of consequences for Moscow if it does not stop fighting with Kiev, so far these warnings have not been implemented in practice.
