Putin and Saudi Crown Prince got real bro-y at G20 and it's weirding people out
It's G20 Summit season again, folks, which means it's time for a whole lot of handshakes.
On Friday, leaders from around the world gathered in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to discuss global issues, and two close pals — who also happen to be some of the world's most controversial leaders — shared a very memorable handshake.
Right before the Russian president Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman took their seats next to each other, cameras captured them saying hello, grinning widely, and engaging in quite the shake. Seriously... it looks like the stuff of exclusive BFFs.
Both Putin and the Crown Prince have been accused of having journalists killed, and both leaders have made negative headlines in the United States recently.
So for many, seeing the handshake and subsequent laughter the two shared was extremely unsettling.
And there we have it. After MBS looked pretty lonely in the #G20 "class photo", shunted off to side, a chuckling Putin comes in with a warm highish-five hand clasp pic.twitter.com/vviHevWi6M
— Rob Crilly (@robcrilly) November 30, 2018
MBS and Putin just gave one another a bro-handshake and are sitting next to one another at the summit. They appear to be laughing uproariously.
— Ali Rogin (@AliABCNews) November 30, 2018
Why exactly are Putin and MBS smiling and high-fiving? #G20Summit2018 pic.twitter.com/9y1MSSQD8A
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) November 30, 2018
just two guys getting ready to take their dog for a walk https://t.co/6DHu1QrVwG
— SUBPOENA POWER🗽 (@Anthony) November 30, 2018
This bro handshake between Putin and the Saudi Crown Prince is one of the most repulsive things I’ve ever seen. I’ve been investigating Trump for over two years, so that’s saying something. pic.twitter.com/lyQE88mY8d
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) November 30, 2018
Trump cancelled his G20 meeting with Putin on Twitter Thursday, amid new revelations from Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen about the president's involvement in Russian business dealings during his campaign. Trump said his reason for cancelling, however, was tied to Russia's refusal to return ships and sailors to Ukraine.
And Trump's relationship with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince came under scrutiny this month after the CIA announced it believed Mohammed bin Salman ordered the death of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump received a great deal of backlash for his response to Khashoggi's brutal murder after refusing to condemn the Crown Prince's involvement.
In the Summit conference room, Pres Trump also on the other side of the table from Putin and the Crown Prince, who are sitting next to one another. pic.twitter.com/ZJqSI8xBTJ
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) November 30, 2018
Some have noticed Trump seems to be keeping his distance from the two leaders so far, but he will reportedly have a impromptu meeting with Putin at some point before the summit is finished.