/data/photo/2022/06/30/62bdd08606fae.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1)
MOSCOW, KOMPAS.com – President of Russia Vladimir Putin don’t use his long table when he entertains the President of Indonesia Joko Widodo at the Kremlin, Moscow, Thursday (30/6/2022).
Instead, Putin conversed with Jokowi closely amidst a small white square table with flowers on it. The two of them sat on chairs, wearing all-black suits.
The situation is very different from when Putin hosted several other country leaders recently, such as French President Emmanuel Macron (7/2/2022) and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (15/2/2022).
Also read: Putin Complains to Jokowi
The other higher-ups who were entertained with Putin long table are Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (19/1/2022), Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (1/2/2022), and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (27/4/2022).
Everything was served by Putin with an obedient table Reuters 20 feet or six meters long. In the meeting, they sat far from end to end with the Russian President.
Then, why when Jokowi meets Putin not served with a long table?
Why Putin uses a long table
Macron said he refused the Covid test because he was afraid Russia could use his DNA, citing notices from two sources close to him.
Later, another French official said to Reuters that Putin’s long table is being used for the security of the Russian President who follows strict health protocols.
The reason when hosting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was also the same, namely because Angela Merkel’s successor refused the PCR Covid-19 test by Russia.
However, even when he met his own ministers, Putin sat far apart even though he didn’t use the long table.
During a face-to-face dialogue with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on April 11, 2022, Putin sits at the other end of a long brown table.
Putin’s actions were allegedly because Lavrov had just met British Foreign Secretary Liz Truzz on February 10 in Moscow, which is ten days after Truss tested positive for Covid-19.
Also read:
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the Kremlin, Moscow, February 14, 2022.-As for Putin’s long table, his photos have gone viral since his meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
According to speculation The Guardianthe reason for using the long table is because Orban did not quarantine before meeting Putin, even though it is a mandatory requirement to meet the Russian President.
Putin is known to be paranoid about Covid-19. He still applies strict health protocols and maintains a distance even though he has been fully vaccinated including boosters.
Long table diplomacy
According to columnist Paul Dallison in his article on Politico (11/2/2022), Putin’s long table aims to make guests feel uncomfortable, including of course to keep their distance.
Using furniture to make guests uncomfortable also happened when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel in Ankara in April 2021.
Ursula did not get a seat so she had to sit on the couch quite a distance away from Erdogan and Charles Michel. The event is known as Sofagate.
Also read:
A video screenshot shows the moment European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (far left) is denied a seat during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday (7/4/2021).-Tactics long table diplomacy this may also have an effect on the outcome of Putin’s meeting with Macron.
When departing from France, Macron very confidently promised intense talks with Putin to find a historic solution to the Russo-Ukrainian war.
However, after five hours of talks at Putin’s long table, Macron went home empty-handed.
According to The GuardianPutin’s long table is a show of strength to subdue Macron.
Although synonymous with Putin, the long table has actually existed for a long time in the Kremlin, precisely during the reign of Boris Yeltsin as Russia’s first president in 1991-1999.
Renato Pologna, the entrepreneur of OAK Furniture in Italy, claims to be the maker of Putin’s long table, quoted from Al Jazeera.
Pologna made it to order and delivered it to the Kremlin in 1995. It was his biggest order of all time.
Not used when entertaining allies
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose during their meeting in Beijing, on February 4, 2022. -Quoted from Forbes (14/4/2022), previously there were several meetings when Putin’s long table was not used to entertain the Russian President’s guests.
For example, when Putin met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in separate meetings in February 2022.
Putin’s meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on June 25, 2022 was also not held at the Kremlin long table, but in the city of Saint Petersburg.
Also read:
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with his ally, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko (R), during a meeting in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 25, 2022.-The latest, Putin’s long table is again “absent” when Jokowi to Russia on Thursday (30/6/2022) and was replaced by a small box table.
China, Belarus and Kazakhstan are allies of Russia, while Putin considers Indonesia as a friendly country.
When Putin met Jokowi, the Russian President since 2012 made sure that Indonesia was included in the list of friendly countries that would receive support from Moscow regarding the supply of agricultural products.
“We are ready to fully meet the demand for agricultural products from Indonesia and other friendly countries for nitrogen, phosphate, potash fertilizers and raw materials for their production,” Putin said, quoted by the Russian news agency, TASS.
In March 2022 Russia released a list of hostile countries. The United States occupies the top position, and in Asia there are Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore.
Jokowi’s goal to Russia is to carry out a peaceful mission to end the war in Ukraine and to discuss the global food crisis. During the meeting Putin’s long table was not visible, and the two presidents shook hands after a joint press conference.
Also read: Jokowi Meets Putin, These are 5 Promises of the Russian President to Indonesia and the World
Indonesian President Joko Widodo (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (right). Putin met Jokowi at the Kremlin Palace, Moscow, Russia, Thursday (30/6/2022).-
Get updates news of choice and breaking news every day from Kompas.com. Let’s join the Telegram group “Kompas.com News Update”, how to click the link https://t.me/kompascomupdate, then join. You must first install the Telegram application on your cellphone.–
