The 5-meter-long table that became a global meme by having Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at each end last week strikes again.
In this case, the victim, so to speak, was the German Chancellor (premier), Olaf Scholz, who is visiting the Russian on Tuesday (15) seeking a chance of accommodation in the serious security crisis around Ukraine’s borders.
According to images from the Kremlin press service, Scholz entered through a different door in the room of the Grand Kremlin Palace where he was received by Putin. They didn’t greet each other.
When such treatment was bestowed on Macron, the symbolism of the diplomatic distance between them was noted. In the end, the Frenchman ended up playing in tune with the Russian, by defending an exit that the Kremlin considers ideal for the territorial disputes of the neighbor.
Afterwards, it was announced by the Kremlin and the French government that the reason for the distance, also adopted at the press conference of the two leaders, was due to the fact that Macron did not undergo an RT-PCR test for the detection of the new coronavirus by the Russian government.
Fearing, according to unofficial information, the Kremlin’s access to his DNA. Not that data on the French president’s current and future health would be sold to insurance companies, the great danger in the genetic testing market that swarms on the internet, but they are certainly of interest to a rival country.
So Macron performed a French PCR, with doctors he trusted. It was not enough for Putin, known for his paranoia when it comes to contracting Covid-19. In Russian diplomatic circles, there are all kinds of rumors about the origin of the fear, and the president received at least three doses of the local Sputnik V vaccine, according to the Kremlin.
Scholz followed a similar path, taking the test at the German embassy with a doctor from his country. Again, he won a seat at the table. Other leaders who have visited Putin recently, such as Kazakh Kassim-Jumart Tokayev and Argentine Alberto Fernandez, presumably performed the Kremlin PCR and were received at much shorter distances.
And what about Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazilian who this Wednesday (16) meets with Putin? The Secretary of Communication of the Presidency does not reveal the nationality of the PCR to be carried out — and there could be two or three for the president and his entourage in these two days in Moscow.
As Bolsonaro theoretically will join Putin’s anti-Covid bubble and stay at the hotel where he will stay this Tuesday (15) until he leaves to see the Russian president, it is assumed that the Brazilian accepted the Kremlin service. But that will become clear on Wednesday.
All those involved with the visit with access to the Kremlin are under a daily testing regime — journalists, for example, will have to submit three previous PCRs and will even do a quick test on the day of the visit, courtesy of the hosts. A PCR costs an average of 4,500 rubles (R$310) with a same-day result on the popular Gemotest network.
Russia is experiencing a health crisis with the emergence of the omicron variant, having recorded 166,000 cases and 704 deaths this Friday. Complete vaccination is around 50%, and impressionistically it is possible to say that the use of masks and distancing is quite fragile on the streets.
