Vladimir Putin snubbed the new British ambassador to Moscow as he kept his distance from a gathering of foreign diplomats “for sanitary reasons”.
“Unfortunately, for sanitary reasons, we cannot talk more, socialise,” he told them on Monday night from 70ft away.
“I hope that better times will come, not only in politics but also in health care, and we will be able to do so.”
The Russian president added that he hoped for “change for the better” in relations between London and Moscow.
He was speaking at the Kremlin in front of an enormous golden door as new foreign ambassadors formally presented their diplomatic credentials.
The speech was reminiscent of Putin’s engagements during the pandemic during which he would sit at the opposite end of long tables to foreign dignitaries.
Nigel Casey was appointed as Britain’s new ambassador to Russia in November.