Putin Says Seeing Western Leaders Shirtless Would Be 'Disgusting' After Getting Mocked at G7 Summit

Putin Says Seeing Western Leaders Shirtless Would Be 'Disgusting' After Getting Mocked at G7 Summit
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Vladimir Putin lashed out at Western leaders Thursday after he was mocked for his habit of going shirtless while enjoying outdoor activities.

"It would be a disgusting sight" if his counterparts stripped down, the Russian president told reporters while visiting Turkmenistan, AP reports.

Putin's slam came after leaders gathered for the three-day G7 summit in Bavaria, Germany, joked about his relatively frequent bare-chested appearances.

The Russian leader has famously been seen shirtless amid majestic Russian landscapes while riding a horse, fishing, hunting and swimming with dolphins over the years in photo ops designed to portray him as powerful, masculine and healthy.

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Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin rides a horse during his vacation outside the town of Kyzyl in Southern Siberia
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin rides a horse during his vacation outside the town of Kyzyl in Southern Siberia

Alexsey Druginyn/AFP via Getty Images

"Jackets on? Jackets off?" U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sunday, according to video of the meeting, as he and his G7 colleagues, including U.S. President Joe Biden, took their seats in Bavaria, where they discussed Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

"Can we take our clothes off?" Johnson continued. "We have to show that we're tougher than Putin."

U.S. President Joe Biden, Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of Great Britain, Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the EU Commission, Charles Michel, President of the EU Council, Mario Draghi, Prime Minister of Italy, Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, Emmanuel Macron, President of France, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD),on the last day of the three-day G7 summit.

Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images

"We're going to get the bare-chested horseback riding display," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau replied.

"We've got to show them our pecs," Johnson added.

Biden smiled during the banter but didn't make any comments about Putin or taking off garments.

RELATED: Biden Calls Putin a 'War Criminal' as Aide Says He Was 'Speaking from the Heart'

"I don't know how they wanted to get undressed, above or below the waist," Putin said Thursday when asked about the gibes, according to AP. "But I think it would be a disgusting sight in any case."

The Russian leader also offered his advice for looking good in less clothing,

"It's necessary to stop abusing alcohol and other bad habits," he reportedly said, "do physical exercise and take part in sports."