Boris Johnson and Justin Trudeau were seen mocking Vladimir Putin at the G7 summit in Germany, joking about his infamous bare-chested horseback riding photographs.
As the leaders sat down together at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps on Sunday, the British prime minister questioned whether they should keep their suit jackets on.
Warming to his theme, Mr Johnson then added, “Shall we take our clothes off?” – before suggesting: “We all have to show that we’re tougher than Putin.”
Amid the laughter Mr Trudeau joined in, suggesting a “bare-chested horseback ride” in a reference to when Mr Putin was pictured shirtless riding a horse in 2009.
Mr Johnson then told the group: “We’ve got to show our pecs.”
The British PM and his Canadian counterpart were also heard joking about the relative sizes of their jets used to get to the G7 summit, where they will be discussing climate change, among other topics.
The two leaders had both flown separately from Rwanda’s Commonwealth meeting to Bavaria.
Mr Johnson said he had seen “Canada Force One” on the tarmac, before Mr Trudeau joked that it was “not quite as big as yours”
On the size of his official Airbus jet, Mr Johnson replied: “No, ours is very, very modest.”
The prime minister used a bilateral meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron to warn him that any attempt to settle the conflict in Ukraine now will give Putin “license to manipulate” other countries.
The prime minister told the French president that compromise will “only cause enduring instability” as the pair met to discuss the war at the G7 summit in Germany.
A French official said Mr Johnson told Mr Macron he was favourable to the idea of Britain joining a “European political community” – an idea the French president first floated last month.
Seen arm in arm during brief exchanges before their talks, Mr Johnson told the French president, who had taken off his suit jacket in the hot meeting room, that he was “looking well”.
Mr Johnson also warned Mr Trudeau that Ukraine is on a “knife-edge”, saying “We need to tip the balance of the war” in the Ukrainians’ favour at this “crucial moment”.
The leaders also welcomed progress in negotiations since the launch of the UK-Canada Free Trade Agreement in March, and agreed to advance co-operation in areas such as security, Downing Street said.
