The images of the meeting on the Ukrainian crisis went around the world. Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putini met in the Kremlin, separated by a very long table that kept them at a distance of 4 meters.
No handshakes, the two always kept a safe distance. And today journalistic sources present on Monday at the meeting in Moscow explained the reason: Macron, once he arrived in Russia, refused to undergo a molecular swab in order not to leave his DNA to the Russians.
The Elysée confirms that there were "timing" issues that advised Macron's entourage to forgo the option of "less spacing" that would have been possible by swabbing on arrival.
But he does not comment on the rumors that the swab was refused so that "the president's DNA would not end up in the hands of the Russians."
The president "did what needed to be done as he always does when traveling, as did his entire delegation," say sources from the French presidency. "The question - they underline - is only that of the condition of the tampon, but these are elements that are up to the doctor to decide. We are talking about issues such as the person who performs the tampon, how the tampon is practiced and what are the requirements imposed in terms of timing (for example, show up very early for the test). We simply felt that the conditions that would have allowed a shorter distance were not acceptable to us and we chose the other option proposed by the Russian protocol ".
(Unioneonline / L)
