Brief exchange between Putin and Xi’s bodyguards lights up the internet

A pair of opposing bodyguards have shown the world that, no matter how official your job is, it’s important to show your humanity once in a while.

A pair of opposing bodyguards have shown the world that, no matter how official your job is, it’s important to show your humanity once in a while.

A short clip from Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s meeting with Vladimir Putin has shown that even the hardiest blokes tasked with protecting two of the most powerful men on earth can break character.

The video shows one of Putin’s henchmen awkwardly sidle up to one of Xi’s bodyguards before giving him a glance, a smile and a nod, which was reciprocated.

The internet had a field day as the clip made its way across the social media channels, with some joking the momentary grimace did more for international relations than multi-million dollar diplomacy trips ever could.

Cheeky X users were quick to turn the brief encounter into a viral meme, with a debate over “who would win in a fight” raging online.

“That should have been on the undercard of Fury’s fight,” one user wrote.

“The Chinese bodyguard looks more diehard. Will give it to him,” another wrote.

Another suggested the clip was the perfect recipe for a Hollywood smash hit.

“Some Hollywood exec just greenlit a $100m buddy action comedy based on this clip of Putin’s bodyguard meeting Xi’s bodyguard,” journalist Trung Phan posted to X.

‘Hello, fellow henchman.’

‘Quick, they saw. Back to business.’

Meanwhile, a widely-publicised hug between Putin and Xi has prompted a bitter response from the US as the West continues to voice fears over China’s cooperation with Russia, which is continuing on its warpath in Ukraine.

Putin arrived in China on Thursday for a meeting with Xi to discuss what they described as forming a stabilising force amid the increasingly tense geopolitical landscape.

“Exchanging hugs? Well, that’s nice for them,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told a briefing when asked about the significance of photos showing the two US adversaries locked in an embrace.

“I’m not good at talking about personal human bodily affection one way or the other. I think I’ll leave it to these two gents to talk about why they thought it was good to hug one another,” said Kirby, a naval admiral known for his dry remarks from the podium.

The United States has repeatedly voiced concerns about Chinese companies supplying Russia with technology for its invasion of Ukraine.

The US has taken a strong stance against Chinese companies supplying Russia with technology for its war effort.

But officials say it doesn’t seem as if the two superpowers had secured any major advances in this regard.

“We didn’t see anything coming out of this meeting that we were necessarily surprised by,” Kirby added.

But he added that, “I wouldn’t go so far as to say we weren’t concerned about this relationship and where it’s going. “We’re watching.”

Originally published as Brief exchange between Putin and Xi’s bodyguards lights up the internet