China News Service, June 30th. In the past few days, British Prime Minister Johnson seems to be a little "obsessed" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
First, at the G7 leaders summit, Johnson suddenly proposed to "show off his chest muscles by stripping off his clothes" when he was chatting with leaders of the United States, Canada, France, Germany and other countries to challenge Putin's tough guy image.
In an interview with the media after the summit, Johnson also claimed that Putin's military campaign against Ukraine showed his "toxic masculinity".
"If Putin were a woman," there would be no "waging a crazy, macho war of aggression and violence."
Image source: Screenshot of the British "Independent" report.
Johnson's remarks immediately sparked heated discussions among netizens.
Some netizens are curious: Is Johnson a "secret love" for Putin?
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Image credit: Social media screenshots.
Some netizens analyzed that maybe Johnson is just jealous of Putin, after all, Putin is very popular.
Image credit: Social media screenshots.
For Johnson's recent series of "entanglements", Putin, the party involved, does not seem to care much.
In a video interview, Putin first joked: "I don't know how they want to take it off, to the waist, or below the waist, but I think either way, this is a disgusting scene."
Image source: Screenshot of the "Russia Today" video.
Putin then quoted the famous Russian poet Pushkin, saying that "to be a capable person, pay attention to the beauty of your nails. I agree very much."
Finally, Putin seems to be persuading some Western leaders to exercise.
"Everything in a person should develop in harmony, both body and soul. In order for everything to develop in harmony, one must quit excessive drinking and other bad habits, exercise, and engage in a sport."
After seeing Putin's response, some netizens couldn't help but think of a series of "weight loss exercises" that Johnson once pushed --
For example, during his tenure as mayor of London, he launched the shared bicycle project "Boris Bike"; after he became prime minister, he claimed that weight loss should be regarded as an anti-epidemic tactic, and he said that "weight loss is indeed one of the ways to reduce the risk of the new crown."
As for the effect of these "weight loss exercises", some netizens silently reprinted the comparison chart below, which may also remind Johnson to continue exercising.
Image credit: Social media screenshots.
The Russian embassy in China also reposted Putin's interview video on social media and responded with a cartoon picture.
In the picture, some people fell on their bicycles, some people took off their clothes, and some people were riding naked on animals such as ostriches and unicorns...
Image source: Official Weibo of the Russian Embassy in China.
However, why did Johnson suddenly get involved with Putin in such a mocking way at the G7 summit?
Some netizens mentioned that in addition to being "showy", it may be related to the pressure on Johnson's shoulders recently.
On the one hand, Johnson is suffering a political career crisis.
The British government, including Johnson, has been punished for the "partygate" scandal that violated anti-epidemic regulations, and calls for him to step down are growing.
The Conservative Party lost another House of Commons by-election a week ago, raising questions again about its leadership within the party.
Coupled with soaring prices in the UK and tight supplies of energy and food, the people are facing a cost of living crisis.
Johnson's new immigration policy has also been frequently questioned.
Many media have thus put a "question mark" on Johnson's political prospects.
And by showing high-profile solidarity with Ukraine and showing a tough stance toward Russia, Johnson may also want to divert the attention of the domestic public and downplay the impact of the political scandal.
File:British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
On the other hand, some analysts say that Britain's diplomatic influence and economic strength have been greatly damaged by Brexit.
Its international status seems to be gradually being "marginalized".
For example, when dealing with the Ukraine issue, the United States, the traditional ally of the United Kingdom, turned more attention to Europe, especially France and Germany.
Under the epidemic, it is rare for Western leaders to "get together". In the face of various pressures at home and abroad, it is inevitable that Johnson will be angry with a wave of existence in order to regain some "face"...