(LtoR) Britain鈥檚 Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Japan鈥檚 Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, US President Joe Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italy鈥檚 Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Canada鈥檚 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and France鈥檚 President Emmanuel Macron attend the last working session of the G7 Summit at Elmau Castle, southern Germany, on June 28, 2022. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / POOL / AFP)
ELMAU CASTLE, Germany 鈥斅燱orld leaders mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 tough-man image at a G7 lunch in Germany on Sunday, joking about whether they should strip down to shirtsleeves 鈥� or even less.
鈥淛ackets on? Jackets off? Do we take our coats off?鈥� British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked as he sat down at the table in Bavaria鈥檚 picturesque Elmau Castle, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz was hosting the summit of seven powerful democracies.
The leaders 鈥� from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the European Union 鈥� pondered the dilemma.
Canada鈥檚 prime minister, Justin Trudeau, suggested they wait for the official picture before disrobing but then Johnson quipped 鈥淲e have to show that we鈥檙e tougher than Putin鈥� and the joke kept rolling.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to get the bare-chested horseback riding display,鈥� Trudeau said, referring to Putin鈥檚 infamous 2009 photo-op of himself riding shirtless on a horse.
鈥淗orseback riding is the best,鈥� European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, without apparently weighing in on the clothing issue itself.
Johnson interjected: 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to show them our pecs.鈥�
The leaders posed 鈥� jackets on 鈥� for photos before reporters were hustled out of the room, leaving the sartorial debate behind closed doors.
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