At the G7 Summit, "Shall we take the photo shirtless?" Putin mocked with a joke

UK Prime Minister Johnson, "Should I take off my jacket or keep it on?"
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, "You should at least go horseback riding shirtless"
G7 leaders reveal group photo wearing white shirts with jackets off

On the 26th (local time), the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), Charles Michel, President of the European Council (front row left), and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission (front row right), are taking a commemorative photo at Elmau Castle in Bavaria, Germany, where the G7 summit will continue until the 28th. Photo by AP News Agency

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Joo-eun Lee] The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) sparked attention by exchanging jokes mocking a shirtless horseback riding photo symbolizing President Vladimir Putin's 'macho' image.

On the 26th (local time), at the G7 summit held at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps, Germany, during a light-hearted conversation about the attire for the group photo to be released to the media while sitting around a round table, the topic of President Putin came up.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson first said, "Shall we take off our jackets? Or keep them on? Shall we all take off our jackets together?" and joked, "We need to show that we are tougher than Putin."

In response, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, seemingly referring to Putin's famous photo riding a horse shirtless, agreed, saying, "We should at least do some horseback riding shirtless."

Then Prime Minister Johnson laughed and said, "That's exactly it. We need to show our chest muscles too."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was listening to the conversation, commented, "Anyway, horseback riding is the best," while U.S. President Joe Biden remained silent during the conversation and only smiled during the photo shoot.

In the group photo released afterward, all the leaders were dressed in white shirts with their jackets off.

The meeting was attended by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, French President Emmanuel Macron, and European Council President Charles Michel.

President Putin has previously released several photos showing him shirtless while swimming, hunting, and horseback riding.