Why Is Everyone Talking About Putin's Negotiating Tables?

Vladimir Putin has been ridiculed after released three very similar press images of intense political discussions, all featuring a giant table.

Some believe the Russian president is very conscious about catching Covid and so rather than using face masks, he is using a comically large table for negotiations between just two people.

Others think it’s a rather old-school intimidation tactic.

Putin has been at the centre of international news recently following his attempts to intimidate Ukraine and prevent the country from joining Nato or the EU. The West has even worried that war could erupt at any point.

Despite these tensions, the internet has still managed to find the funny side and poked fun at the Russian president’s strange choice of furniture. 

One particular table has provoked such a reaction online there’s even been a bit of disagreement about who made it – an Italian or a Spanish creator.

In case you had missed the images making the rounds, here’s a snap from Putin’s latest meeting with German chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday... 

Another from his meeting with own foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday...

And a third from his negotiation with French president Emmanuel Macron last week...

And here’s a roundup of all the memes you need to see about Putin and his giant tables.

Then there’s this Ikea table which doesn’t help....