Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to Western leaders who had made fun of his athletic prowess by claiming that if they attempted to imitate his bare-torso appearances, they would look "disgusting."
In response to a question on Western leaders making jokes about him at the G7 summit, Putin made the remark during an early-Thursday visit to Turkmenistan.
Amid tensions between the West and Russia over Moscow's military intervention in Ukraine, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson joked that the G7 leaders may strip off to "demonstrate that we're tougher than Putin."
Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, jokingly suggested that Western leaders attempt to match Putin's photos of his bare torso with a similar physical feat.
Speaking to reporters, Putin shot back that, in contrast to him, Western leaders don't participate in sports and abuse alcohol.
He remarked, "I'm not sure how they wanted to get undressed, above or below the waist. But in any event, I think that would be a repulsive sight.
He added that in order to look beautiful, "it is vital to stop abusing alcohol and other bad habits, engage in physical activity, and participate in sports."
In pictures released by the Kremlin, Putin has frequently been seen without a shirt on. Putin's penchant for stripping down while engaging in outdoor activities is a component of his expertly cultivated strongman persona. According to The Hill, the Russian president is a skilled Taekwondo practitioner.
During the first day of the three-day G7 summit in the Bavarian Alps, Johnson and Trudeau made jokes about Putin, according to The Hill.
Following its initial invasion of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, Russia was expelled from what was once known as the G8 in 2014.
The United States, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, France, and Japan make up the current G7.
As a response to Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, US President Joe Biden declared that the group will impose fresh import prohibitions on Russian gold, according to The Hill.
According to the US, the G7 countries would forbid the import of Russian gold in an effort to strengthen sanctions against Moscow.
President Joe Biden declared, "Together, the G7 will announce that we will restrict the import of Russian gold, a key commodity that generates tens of billions of dollars for Russia," as the heads of the world's richest countries met in the Bavarian Alps outside the G7 Summit.
Earlier, Biden tweeted, "To deny Putin the funds he needs to finance his war on Ukraine, the United States has imposed unprecedented costs. Together, the G7 will announce that we will ban the import of Russian gold, a key commodity that generates tens of billions of dollars for Russia.
Notably, the United Kingdom was the country that first announced these policies. On the other hand, a senior US government official who spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity said that the G7 would officially announce the import embargo on gold on Tuesday.
Ukraine was mentioned frequently in a White House readout of Biden's discussion with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty while also pledging to continue providing military, economic, humanitarian, and diplomatic support to help Ukraine protect its democracy from Russian aggression, according to a readout from the White House.
According to the press release, "the leaders also discussed steps to lessen the effects of Russia's war in Ukraine on global food and energy security."
In a more serious discussion at the summit, the president of the EU and the leaders of the United States, England, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan talked about measures to punish Putin and Russia even more for starting the war with Ukraine in February.
The leaders suggested that imports of gold from Russia be prohibited.
Although he did not make fun of Putin, US President Joe Biden did denounce him for the most recent missile attack on Kiev early on Sunday.