President Emmanuel Macron refused to get a Covid test after arriving in Moscow for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters reported citing sources.
The publication noted the French president was offered the option of either taking a PCR test in order to get closer to Putin or observing social distancing precautions. Macron opted to do the latter, allegedly over concerns his DNA samples would end up in the hands of Russian doctors.
"We knew very well that meant no handshake and that long table. But we could not accept that they get their hands on the president's DNA," a source said as citied by Reuters.
Eventually, the negotiations took place at a 4-metre-long table, prompting speculations that it could be a sign of cold relations between Russia and the West.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Emmanuel Macron refused to take Russian PCR COVID-19 test.
The talks between Putin and Macron were held in Moscow on 7 February. During the meeting, the presidents discussed the situation in Ukraine and Russia's security guarantees.
According to the French president, they managed to find some common ground on Ukraine, and agreed to have a followup phone call soon after his talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kiev the following day.